


Blood of the Immortal (Rewrite)

by SakuraMinamino



Series: Shadows of Blood (Rewrite) [1]
Category: Naruto
Genre: Alternate Universe - Supernatural Elements, M/M, Ninja, Romance, Vampires
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-08-17
Updated: 2020-12-13
Packaged: 2021-03-06 05:08:11
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 19
Words: 100,921
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25947844
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SakuraMinamino/pseuds/SakuraMinamino
Summary: Naruto is a delinquent. At least that's what everyone makes him out to be. All Naruto can do is take everything one step at a time. Taking on a dare to enter an abandoned mansion, he finds out that the mansion is not so abandoned after all. Finding yet another situation out of his control, Naruto finds himself relying on the mansion's owner. With Naruto's past coming to haunt him, and people close to him revealing that they weren't who he thought he was, Naruto must navigate this new world he was thrown into and survive.Sasuke has been searching for vengeance for the past century. Being so close for the first time since his search began, he never expected to be distracted by a human he decided to turn on a whim. Normally, he would have disposed of anyone who brought him as much trouble as Naruto did, but he can't help but be intrigued by the human he has taken under his wing. As his interest continues to grow, Sasuke begins to realize that maybe revenge shouldn't be his one and only focus.(This is the rewritten version and ties more tightly together with the parallel story Free Me From Desolation).
Relationships: Uchiha Sasuke/Uzumaki Naruto
Series: Shadows of Blood (Rewrite) [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1883257
Comments: 49
Kudos: 67





	1. The Dare

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [Blood of the Immortal](https://archiveofourown.org/works/2179557) by [SakuraMinamino](https://archiveofourown.org/users/SakuraMinamino/pseuds/SakuraMinamino). 



> This is the rewritten version. It will be about 50,000 words longer, and some scenes will be cut out or added in, and some character personalities have changed some, becoming more realistic rather than their anime counterparts. If you want more in character, characters, I have left the original work up for you to read. I should post 3 chapters today.

Naruto plopped himself down onto one of the soft, brown, leather sofas in the principal's office, kicking up his feet onto the wooden coffee table in front of him, knowing it would annoy her. Really, it was not the first time he played a prank on his science teacher, Hatake Kakashi. The man should have expected them on a daily basis at this point. It wasn't his fault the teacher kept falling for it each time.

The office was on the large and extravagant side. Painted beige, the wood flooring was covered by a large cream rug that brightened up the room─ not that the room needed any help brightening up. Behind the desk was a large set of bay windows, framed by white lace curtains. On either side of the desk were large bookshelves embedded into the wall, filled with books of all shapes and sizes, neatly placed in alphabetical order and separated by language.

Naruto currently sat in the sitting area of the office, reserved for guests, where they would be greeted and served tea, and not for trouble making students. Rather than sit in the uncomfortable chair situated in front of the imported mahogany desk, Naruto would always take his chances with the sofa. He had snuck in more than once to take a nap here. It was much more comfortable than the school infirmary’s bed.

Other than the books, tossed about on the desk, the office was spotless, showing the principal’s need for perfection and OCD for order. There were no trinkets or anything that would be considered personal with the exception of a single photograph on the desk and a nameplate. It always made waiting a pain as there was nothing of interest to look at. If he so much as touched the principal’s book collection, he would undoubtedly find his hand missing a moment later. 

The door to the office opened, and Naruto tilted his head to glance lazily at the woman who entered with a mischievous grin. "Hey, Baa-chan."

The woman sent him a sharp glare, her lips pulling back into a scowl. "Don't 'Baa-chan' me, Naruto. Don't you feel any shame for what you've done."

Naruto shrugged, looking away from his godmother. "Not really. He's not that great of a teacher, and he's kind of a perv." Lifting his hips, he dug out a cigarette from his pocket and put it to his lips. "I'm doing the class a favor."

The woman's glared intensified at the offending material, marching over and snatching it away from his lips and crushing it in her hand. Naruto sighed, turning his gaze on her. She was a beautiful woman. Despite being in her mid-fifties, there wasn't a wrinkle in sight, and her cropped short hair was a perfect light brown without a single strand of gray. It was easy to mistake her as a woman 30 years younger. Unfortunately, she had a temper that proved the American stereotypes right and often scared the students into submission. "Really, Baa-chan?"

"You're underage," she scolded, "and smoking is bad for your health."

"Yeah, yeah." He sighed, rubbing his hand through his blond locks. "Can I go now? It's almost lunch."

"Naruto," she nearly growled.

"Look,” he sighed, “it wasn't even that bad. I just strung him up by his ankle with an invisible wire."

"That's exactly the problem!" she yelled. Realizing her mistake, she took a deep breath and rubbed her eyes, leaning against the desk. The desk creaked softly under her weight, sounding as if it was sighing with her. "You're not a ninja Naruto, and that prank could have seriously hurt him. Most students would be expelled by now."

"No one got hurt, Baa-chan. It’s just a little prank."

Naruto could see a vein popping out on the woman's forehead; she was trying, and ultimately failing, to keep her composure. Exhaling rather loudly, she walked over to him, her heels clicking on the wooden floor, and squatted in front of him, so they could meet eye to eye. "Naruto," she said, gentle and warm. "You can't keep acting out like this. Minato wouldn't want--"

"You don’t know what he would have wanted. He's not here, is he?" The playful glint Naruto had present in his eyes since seeing her had turned steely.

Sadness crept into her hazel eyes as well as sympathy, but it didn’t diminish the disappointment and anger she held towards him for his behavior. The muscles in her arm ticked as she clenched her fists, barely restraining her anger─ a common occurrence whenever he was in the room it seemed. "I will let you off with a warning, Naruto," she stood up, brushing the wrinkles out of her gray skirt. "But do it again, and you're out for good."

Naruto’s grin returned with a vengeance, spreading across his lips as if it had never left, beaming bright. Jumping up to his feet, he was eager to leave. "Thanks, Baa-chan, see you at dinner."

"Tell that perverted old man to clean up once in a while!" The comment was cut off as the heavy door closed behind him, chuckling at her behavior. If she just admitted she liked his godfather, they could stop the 'coming by once a week to check up on things' charade they insisted on keeping up, yet her stubbornness about the entire situation made it all the more entertaining.

He turned to head toward the cafeteria, intending to get a head start on the rush when he bumped into someone. She must have been running because he stumbled back, and a girl fell to the floor, her blue plaid, uniform skirt, blew up until she hurriedly pulled it down. "Watch where you're goi--" then her dark brown eyes widened in realization when she noticed him, "Oh, Naruto-kun," her voice turned overly sweet. "I didn't see you there."

He winced inwardly at her tone, but still smiled at her and extended a hand to help her up. "Sakura-chan, you should be more careful." Sakura was his girlfriend, or at least in name. She was of average height and chin-length pink hair. A lot of boys at the school thought she was beautiful with her pale skin and big, green-brown eyes, giving her the appearance of many current pop stars. Because of that, she had a reputation; one he was kind of hoping was true.

She took his hand, and he helped her up. Her grip was stronger than one would expect of her thin build. "Sorry. I was just... Are we still on for tomorrow night?"

"Yeah of course," he responded automatically, not quite remembering what he had promised. Thankfully, she didn't ask for any details, and quickly excused herself, walking around him and into the principal's office. The lunch bell rang.

Students poured into the halls, switching classrooms, heading to the school's cafeteria, or just taking a walk to stretch their legs during the lunch hour, but they all kept their distance, going out of their way to leave a large bubble of empty space, to avoid him.

Konoha High School was a private institution with an insanely difficult entrance exam. Despite its elite classes and high tuition, the school itself was relatively down to earth. The buildings, while new, were modest with only the necessities needed to succeed. The rich students couldn't use their money and influence, forced to do club activities, sports, and study just like everyone else. Everyone wore the uniform and followed the rules set by the principal/chairman, Tsunade.

And then there was Naruto's class. It was full of foreigners and oddballs, people like Naruto and his friends who didn't quite fit in with everyone else. And it wasn't just the students of Year 3 Class E either. The teachers were just as peculiar. As a result, the majority of the normal students stayed away from them and put in the extra effort to stay away from him in particular. His reputation preceded him, and no right-minded individual would risk associating with an orphan of a low class who caused trouble on a daily basis. So, they avoided him as if just a single touch would contaminate them. But he was used to this behavior. After all, he was Uzumaki, Naruto. Everyone on the island knew that name.

"Well if it isn't, Cherry-kun."

Naruto fought the urge to bang his head against the window, hearing the familiar emotionless voice behind him. "Stop calling me that," he snapped, turning to the boy who had given him the embarrassing nickname.

The boy was tall and lanky with thin black hair that seemed kind of oily. Sai was the recluse artist type that skipped class often to hide in the art room to paint. As such, his skin looked like he hadn't seen sunlight in the past ten years, but that wasn't what threw most people off. It was his blank face that never showed emotions, a sharp contrast to his often provoking words. For some reason, ever since Sai found out that Naruto was a virgin, he had taken to calling him "Cherry-kun", and no matter how hard Naruto tried, he couldn’t get Sai to stop.

Sai tilted his head to the side. He had taken off his uniform's blazer, and the white shirt beneath was stained with splotches of black ink. "Have you gotten laid?" he asked.

"No, I'm still a virgin. With my luck, I'll probably stay a virgin, but just stop calling me that!" Without realizing it, Naruto; voice gradually rose with his annoyance, gaining the attention of everyone in the hallway who had gone silent.

Naruto's cheeks grew red with embarrassment when the students began to whisper and gossip to one another, stealing glances at him.

"I can’t say that I’m surprised Uzumaki. People have standards after all.” The new voice had Naruto cursing his luck. He had just come from Tsunade's office. He really couldn't afford to go back.

The newcomer was different from Sai by the fact that he had an aura of someone well off. Immaculately groomed, his mid-back length, dark brown hair pulled back into a low ponytail, tall, perfect posture, and holding unwavering confidence, he was the school's heartthrob. However, as a student in class E, he too had a peculiarity. His eyes were almost a lilac color and his pupil was milky white instead of black, making people often mistake him as being blind.

He was also a year older than the rest of the class having been held back a year. No one knew why. He had been top of his class that year, so it was a shock when he was not allowed to graduate with his peers and forced to repeat the year.

"Piss off, Hyuuga,” Naruto said wearily, bumping his forehead lightly against the window with a dull thud. “I really don't want to kill you today."

Hyuuga raised an eyebrow condescendingly. "Is it safe for you to make threats like that, Uzumaki?"

Naruto glared, his fists clenching at his sides until they drew blood. He wouldn't be held responsible for what happened next if Hyuuga, Neji decided to go where he thought he was going.

"After all," Hyuuga continued, "you're still under suspicion for killing your father, aren't you?"

The next thing Hyuuga knew, he was grabbed by his throat and slammed against the hallway windows, causing them to shake from the force. "Watch what you say Hyuuga because it might just be your last."

Fear crept into Hyuuga's eyes before it was hastily suppressed. It was like this every time. Hyuuga would push Naruto over the edge, and Naruto would snap. No matter how much he expected it, Hyuuga would know what buttons to push and when. He could not stop himself from rising to the bait or stop himself for tightening his hands around the older boy's throat.

"Uzumaki," a familiar hand touched Naruto's shoulder, causing Naruto’s shoulder to tense, but the hand didn't try to pull him away from strangling the boy. "Let him go.”

The gentle words pulled Naruto away from his anger enough to respond in a low growl. "Gaara, he─”

"I know." In the corner of his eye, Naruto could see Gaara's bright red hair and piercing green eyes staring at him. "But settle it off of school grounds. He's not worth getting expelled over."

Naruto's grip tightened a little more before he released Hyuuga. It was only then Naruto realized he had been holding Hyuuga off the ground by his neck when he let go and Hyuuga fell to the floor, coughing for air.

With a shaky step back, Naruto tried to compose himself and focus on Gaara's face though he rather look anywhere else. Gaara held his gaze with a steady stare, acting as his anchor for Naruto to center himself around until his anger dampened. Slowly, Naruto breathed in and exhaled, letting go of his anger.

"I guess that means you won't take our offer."

"What offer?" Gaara asked, turning his cold stare to Hyuuga.

Hyuuga met his gaze for a brief second before quickly looking away. "Where's Nara?" he asked Sai, his voice slightly raspy.

The artist shrugged half-heartedly, not overly concerned for Hyuuga. "Math lab most likely."

Hyuuga pushed his bangs out of his face, his breathing finally back to normal. "Two nights ago, a group of teenagers went into the abandoned mansion south of here. Earlier this morning, their bodies were found dumped in the city cemetery. Rumor has it they died from blood loss." Hyuuga smirked. "So, I want to dare you to check out the house yourself."

Naruto chuckled, shaking his head. "And why would I do something stupid like that."

"Why? Scared?"

Not one to back down from a challenge, Naruto grinned. "Not on your life. You think I'd chicken out over some ghost story?"

Gaara muttered, "Idiots," under his breath, already walking away.

"Does that mean you'll take the challenge?"

"Midnight tonight."

"Deal."

Sai and Hyuuga walked away and the crowd that had surrounded them dispersed now that the show was over. Running to catch up to his friend, Naruto gave Gaara an apologetic smile.

"You're leaving," the slightly smaller teen stated, obviously not approving.

"You can't seriously think I can stay here after that asshole just..." he trailed off under his friend's unmoving gaze. "I need air."

Gaara grunted, leading the way towards the shoe lockers. "You shouldn't rise to every challenge he throws at you. He's looking to get you in trouble."

"You don't think I know that? He just irritates me so much," Naruto exhaled angrily. Just thinking of that pretty boy nearly made his temper snap. What was even more infuriating was that he knew Hyuuga was afraid of him. Today wasn't the first time he had lost control. Every time, he saw the fear in Hyuuga’s eyes, just like everyone else. Hyuuga was just the only one stupid to keep repeatedly doing it. It just didn't make sense.

They walked in silence for a bit. Gaara was mostly his polar opposite. The redhead was never much of a talker and preferred others to stay away from him. In fact, if there was anyone more unstable than Naruto, it was definitely Gaara. Gaara was known for his short and violent tempers. Yet, Gaara was always the one to keep him out of trouble, being his silent shadow and companion, unlike his much louder friend Inuzuka, Kiba.

Gaara wasn't Japanese. In fact, he had a hint of Middle Eastern in his features, despite his unusual hair and eye color, but there was barely a trace of it in his speech. He spoke perfect Japanese as if bred and raised, but Naruto knew that wasn't the case. Gaara, however, wouldn't talk about it, and Naruto didn't push.

Throwing his arm over Gaara's shoulder, he grinned at his friend's stiff posture. Only he could do this without getting beaten, and a part of him found pleasure that someone trusted and liked him enough for him to be the exception. "Thanks, Gaara. For back there."

"Don't mention it... Ever."

Laughing, Naruto released him, arriving at his shoe locker. He pulled out his outdoor shoes, slipping them on. "Tell Kiba I'll call him after he gets out."

"If I remember," Gaara said, not making any promises. He held up a black leather, school bag.

Smiling, Naruto took his bag from Gaara. His friend knew his habits well. Waving, Naruto left the school, carrying his bag over his shoulder.

Konoha was made up of mountainous terrain. The school was built on the top of one peak, overlooking the newly developed city underneath. After World War II, the area had gone through a huge economic boom, attracting many foreigners to the small island. The old traditional families that had resided on the island for centuries still had their large houses spread throughout the island, and the foreigners who had come shortly after the war, for some reason stayed and had their children here. So it wasn't uncommon to see a mixture of Japanese and quite a few foreigners wandering around the town, yet people were always surprised when they looked at him.

Naruto got on the bus and took a seat, staring out the window. No matter where you were on the island, you could see the ocean in the distance. It was the best thing about this place. Even if the ocean was barely a spec, it was always there. To past the time, he put in his headphones. Today, he needed to see the water up close.

He rode the bus as far as he could. Getting off, it was still a half an hour walk to the rocky shore. The other side of the island had the sandy white beaches, but here, there were fewer people and more fish merchants. At this time of day, the docks were empty, and he could sit on the edge and let his feet soak in the water without worrying about weary eyes staring at him.

The water was clear as was the sky, and the salty breeze ruffled his hair. He loved the water. He loved everything about it except for the image that it always reflected back at him. Crystal blue eyes. Shaggy, bright blond hair. Tanned skin. There was barely a trace of his Asian characteristics. The only thing that gave him away was the shape of his eyes and a slightly roundish face. No one would believe he was three-fourths Japanese. It wasn't natural.

But it was the scars he hated seeing─ the three scars, parallel to each other, on both sides of his cheeks, from a knife wound the day his father's death. That's all he knew about it. The scar was smooth and to be honest, under certain conditions, it couldn't be seen, but it was always present in his mind like shackles. He couldn't even remember how he received it, yet it seemed to control him, brand him.

What did anyone know about his father's death? He didn't even know about the circumstances, and he was the only one there. He couldn't remember. That day was nothing but a thick fog in his memories. Why should he be labeled for something he wasn't sure he did?

His cell rang, bringing him out of his thoughts. Absentmindedly, he answered with a dull, "Hello?"

"Naruto, you bastard! How could you ditch school without me?"

A smile inched its way on the teen's face. "I don't know what you are talking about," he sang.

"Don't give me that. Sai is telling everyone about what happened in the hallway. And then, I had to go bother Gaara about what happened, and you know he scares the shit out of me."

Naruto couldn't hide his laugh this time. "He's not that bad."

"He threatened to skin me!"

"Yeah, yeah." Naruto stood, putting his shoes back on. "I'll meet you at my place. The old perv is delivering his manuscript today."

Distant chatter could be heard over the line before Kiba replied. "Gaara says he won't be a part of the dare, and you're on your own if you do it."

"Figures," he laughed. "I'll see you soon." He hung up. With the walk and a second bus trip, he and Kiba would arrive around the same time. Shrugging off his worries, he let out a giant grin. That was enough moping about for now. Tonight, he would show up Hyuuga and have a little fun because Uzumaki, Naruto would not be intimidated by myths and ghosts. Laughing to himself, he left the docks and the sea behind, intending to show everyone just how ridiculous it was to believe in the supernatural.


	2. The Vampire

The night sky was clear, the moon, a large silver crescent; it's light shimmering on the lake below. The manor was above the city, a ways up the mountain, secluded from many of the other large houses in the area. The bike ride up was killer on Naruto's legs. Unfortunately, Kiba and himself were still too young to get their driver's license and Gaara had refused to come, meaning they didn't have access to his car and personal driver. They stopped in front of the wrought-iron gate that closed off the entrance through the stone wall that surrounded the 4,000-squared meter property.

The darkness of night made the abandoned mansion difficult to see through the trees, but in the distance, he could make out the outline of a building. Parking the bikes outside, he pushed open the gates that swung open without a sound.

As Kiba and Naruto made their way down the gravel path with their flashlights, Naruto couldn't help but feel something was off. He couldn't quite put his finger on it. The mansion itself was unusual. Many of the large estates on the island were large Japanese style mansions. There were a few western-style mansions, but they had been built within the past 30 years. This mansion however was built over a hundred years ago, with late 1800’s architecture, before the city grew and appeared on any map, and no one in town ever talked about it or really acknowledged it other than to say stay away.

The nagging feeling in the back of his head grew with every step, still unable to figure out what was bothering him. The yard was well trimmed and weeded, the seasonal fall flowers in bloom, and as they got closer, the mansion came clearer into view. The stone exterior was clean, and the vines were well controlled, climbing only on the rack assisting their growth. There wasn’t anything to be afraid of, yet he still hadn’t shaken the feeling even when they approached Hyuuga, Sai, and surprisingly Nara, Shikamaru.

"What's he doing here?" Kiba gestured to the additional teen, slouched against a tree. Shikamaru was slightly shorter than the rest of them. With his constantly slouched posture, often rumpled clothes, and constant bored expression, he was often mistaken for a slob with little ambition. No one would believe he was the number one student in school with an IQ of 152. It was his laid-back attitude that made Naruto like him. He was the type that didn't judge until he had all the facts.

"We needed another person to ensure that you didn't chicken out," Hyuuga said offhandedly, texting on his phone. He sent the message then pocketed the device. "The rules are simple enough that even you two morons should be able to follow them." Hyuuga received a glare at the jab. "Search every room in the mansion and videotape as you make your way through with your phone for proof. You have to survive for an hour." His eyes landed on Kiba. "Only Uzumaki has to remain the entire time. You're allowed to chicken out." His eyes returned to Naruto and a small smirk graced his lips, "And if there is a murderer or evil spirit, you're on your own."

Naruto couldn't stop his eye roll, showing his disdain for Hyuuga's lame attempts to scare him. "We'll see who chicken's out," he muttered under his breath, meanwhile gesturing his friend to follow him to the front door as he pulled out his phone.

He took a few steps towards the door, stopping when he didn't hear Kiba following. “You coming—," he trailed off when he noticed the hesitation in his friend's face.

Kiba was the same height as him with dark brown hair that looked like Kiba had shaken his head like a dog to dry his hair rather than with a towel. He was often the one wearing a hoodie under his school blazer, the hood dangling out the back. He was as loud and mischievous as Naruto was and probably more energetic. It was when he was quiet that one had to worry, and Kiba had not taken a single step towards the mansion.

"You don't have to come, Kiba. It's alright."

His friend looked at the door then back at him. Even in the low light, Naruto could see him tremble. "No," his voice cracked then cleared his throat. "No, I'm fine. I, uh…. there aren't really ghosts here right?"

Sighing, Naruto tilted his head towards the door. "I'm going in. You can stay here. It's no big deal."

It wasn't even a second before Kiba joined him by his side which made it difficult to hide the smile creeping on Naruto's face. Kiba was the type who would face anything. Everything except ghosts. A byproduct from their childhood and long nights of watching horror movies.

He must not have been very successful because his friend punched his arm hard. Laughing, he tried the door handle, and surprisingly, the double doors opened without a fuss.

"That's not normal," Kiba whispered, staring at the dark inside.

"Someone broke in earlier, right. It's probably because of them," he offered, though his voice held some uncertainty. Renewing his smile, he slapped his friend's back. "Come on. Worst case, it's just Hyuuga trying to scare us."

"R-right."

Naruto entered first, intending to lead by example, while Kiba followed sticking close to him. The inside wasn't as dark as he thought. There were several candles lit, illuminating the interior in a faint light. They had entered into the foyer. The floor was made of black and white marble in a checkered pattern. A curving staircase, leading up to the second floor, had a suit of armor beside it, and a crystal chandelier hung from the ceiling. The large foyer was circular, with two French doors to the right and left, and a long hallway at the other end, stretching into the darkness.

Naruto took a few steps further inside inspecting the armor, noting the deep gashes along the chest plate as if it had been used. "Hey Kiba, come look at this."

"Naruto, we should get out of here. Something's not right," he hissed.

Naruto was about to roll his eyes, but then he saw his friend's dimly lit form trembling uncontrollably. The words he had planned to say were swallowed and forgotten. Kiba had good instincts. He always seemed to know when trouble was lurking around the corner, like a dog sensing something coming, and Naruto had never seen him look so frightened.

"Alright," he said, deciding to listen to his friend's instincts. "Let's g−" a gust of wind blew right past them, extinguishing the lights and the front doors slamming shut, leaving the room in absolute darkness.

Kiba's heavy breathing and murmuring was the only sound filling the room, a constant chant of "This can't be happening. This can't be happening," coming from his terrified voice.

Naruto himself could almost laugh at the cliché if it were not for the fact it was happening to him like a bad horror movie. "It's probably Hyuuga," he tried to be reassuring, but his own bad feeling was making his hands shake. "Try the door."

A second later, Naruto could hear the sound of a doorknob being twisted and pulled followed by the sound of the doors jiggling in their door frame when it refused to open. "It's locked!" Kiba's voice rose in panic.

"How can it be locked? It was just open?" Naruto was pulled along with Kiba's rising panic, and then suddenly, like a splash of cold water he understood why. Why he had thought something was strange since he had first entered the property. The soundless gates opening. The trimmed grass. The nice and polished foyer and lit candles. Someone still lived here. For a house that was supposed to have been abandoned for over a 100 years, there wasn't a single trace of rot or decay, nothing broken or covered in dust. It all looked brand new, but Naruto knew for a fact no one lived here. Gossip would have flooded the entire island if there was so much as the gate opening or a car heading this direction.

But the candles had been lit, and someone had to light them, and while Hyuuga was a jerk, this type of prank wasn't his style. He fought with words and the occasional challenge. He would never cheat or use petty tricks no matter how much he had tried to convince himself otherwise.

"We have to get out of here," Naruto tried to keep his voice calm, but his voice wavered at the end. "I really don't want to be killed by evil spirits."

He meant for it to be joking, but the humor failed to be conveyed, panicking his friend even more. "I thought you didn't believe in spirits!"

"I wouldn't call myself a spirit."

Kiba and Naruto froze. Despite the darkness, they had been friends long enough to know that voice had not belonged to either of them. It was deep, smooth, and almost mocking. It was just a voice, and a person had to be on the other end, yet it made Naruto's heartbeat quicken and sweat form on the palms of his hands. "Who are you?" he demanded, refusing to be controlled by his fear. It was just another person. Just like him.

"Hn, you come into my house and demand my name? You are more of an idiot than I thought," the voice paused as if in thought then said, "But I will humor you." A single candle relit, casting a soft glow on the owner who held it. It was difficult to see with the shadows the candle cast upon the speaker's face, but Naruto could make out pale skin, dark hair, a youngish face, and dark eyes, eyes so dark they looked black. "My name is Uchiha, Sasuke, the owner of this mansion."

Seeing his face somehow didn't make the fear go away. Something about his eyes, made him feel predatory, dangerous. Naruto could hear Kiba behind him shifting constantly. His friend hadn't relaxed either, further cementing his belief that the sooner they left the better, bet be damned. "I'm so sorry for the misunderstanding, Uchiha-san," Naruto smiled, knowing there was no way it could be seen. "We thought this place was abandoned and was just messing around. We'll just go and leave a letter of apology in your mailbox by tomorrow morning." Naruto took a step back, nervous about turning his back on this Uchiha person.

"I am afraid I cannot allow you to do that. You see, any dinner that walks into my manor is fair game," the owner smiled, a fang peeking out from under his upper lip. "And I am quite famished." As Uchiha talked, his speech continually slipped into an older speech pattern until his young face felt ill-suited for his voice.

"Naruto," Kiba hissed, grabbing Naruto's right arm in a deathly grip. "He smells like blood."

The teen's heart was beating wildly, and for a moment, his body was paralyzed as the information sunk in. Kiba was never wrong. If he smelled blood….

He then recalled Hyuuga's story, about the murders, and Hyuuga's insistence that the story was real. This man killed them. He had no proof, but he could not bring himself to believe otherwise. There was no doubt. Uchiha may not have been a spirit, but maybe something worse, and he had dragged Kiba into it.

Uchiha started walking towards them slowly, his heels clicking on the marble floor, each step ringing, echoing, in the large hall.

He needed to get Kiba out of here. "When I make a move, run," Naruto whispered.

Kiba grabbed his arm, grasping it tightly. "Are you crazy? I'm not leaving you with him," he replied panicked.

"And if you don't, we're both dead, so run fast and come back for me."

Naruto couldn’t wait for Kiba’s response. He ripped out of Kiba's hold, charging towards the man, fist raised.

Kiba wasted no time trying to kick down the door. If he worked fast enough, if they had more light to see or found Hyuuga or Nara, maybe they could team up on the psychopath. Each kick was filled with desperation, aiming each one at the lock that kept it closed. The wood was splintering, and hope surged through his chest. They could make it. Just a little more.

With one more kick, the wood gave way and the doors slammed open. Kiba turned to tell Naruto then the blood drained from his face. Somehow Naruto had been turned around, his right arm held firmly to his chest and the left arm trapped behind his back, their attacker standing behind him keeping him in place with long slender arms, one arm forcing Naruto’s head to the side while the other kept Naruto from moving.

Naruto's blue eyes were glazed over as blood trailed down his neck from the wound caused by Uchiha's teeth. Uchiha sucked at the wound, drawing blood into his mouth, causing a soft pained grunt to escape Naruto's lips.

Kiba was frozen in place, unsure what to do. Should he help him or try to find someone? His eyes accidentally met Naruto's. Naruto looked deathly pale in the moonlight. Even so, the teen managed to softly smile at him and mouthed, "Run."

Kiba felt his eyes sting with tears as he took a shaky step back, then another. The attacker was watching him but made no move after him as he drank Naruto's blood. The tears fell then Kiba was rushing down the gravel road.

"Hyuuga! Nara!" He screamed, almost tripping in his panic. "Get out here! Please! Help us!"

There was no answer. He kept running towards the gate calling out, praying for someone to answer only to receive silence in return. His hopes were dwindling quickly with each second, hearing no reply as he screamed at the inky blackness for someone to come to their aid.

As he neared the gate, he saw the flashing lights of a police car. He picked up the pace, yelling as loud as he could.

The car was pulling away, and he pushed himself harder to go faster. It didn't matter if he couldn't breathe, yelling was more important. It didn't' matter if his legs burned as the car went further and further out of reach. If it would stop for a moment and he could grab their attention, it would be enough.

In his haste, he didn't notice the large branch sticking out onto the road, tearing into his flesh and causing him to fall and tumble several meters down the slope of the mountain, his arm taking the brunt of the fall but still hitting his head against the concrete.

His vision drifted in and out. Had he failed? Was this really it? Naruto was going to get killed just because he hadn't spoken up sooner about his unease. The one time he should have just listened to Gaara and talked Naruto out of this entire thing to begin with. Was he going to live knowing that he was only alive because Naruto protected him yet again?

Just before he lost consciousness, he saw the car come to a stop.

* * *

“Sarutobi-kun.”

Asuma looked up from his paperwork, cigarette dangling from his lips with a scowl. His paperwork had piled up due to his neglectful partner, but at the sight of who had called him, he forced himself to put on a strained smile for his visitor. “Tsunade-san. You came quicker than I expected.”

“When you have my precious students under your wonderful care, of course, I’ll be here.” The principal was dressed in a pair of sweatpants and a t-shirt, a clear bag carrying hospital scrubs in her hand. While she was always polite to him, he couldn’t help but think who had called her. He had intentionally avoided calling her this time, hoping to wait a few hours before he was forced to. They had barely brought them in not 10 minutes ago.

Taking the plunge, he leaned forward, folding his hands on his desk, and using his most placating tone he could manage. “Tsunade-san, I know you’re protective over your students, but two of them are already eighteen. I think it’s time we started to process them as legal adults. This isn’t their first offense.”

The woman slammed down a document onto his desk which took biting his inner cheek to not let a rude comment slip, instead scanning the piece of paper. A frown pulled at his lips, deepening with each passing line. Sighing, he rubbed his tired eyes. “Another one? Their families won’t be able to keep them out of trouble forever. They have to face consequences. The owner of that property wants to press charges.”

“He won’t,” her eyes hardened. “Now, would you kindly release Shikamaru-kun, Sai-kun, and Neji-kun please.”

Putting out his cigarette in his ashtray, he pressed the intercom button. “Usokawa-kun, release them.”

“Right away, Captain.” The fact that he didn’t even have to explain who “they” were was unsettling. It happened too frequently for his liking, but it wasn’t like he could argue with the mayor’s signature, not if he wanted to stay chief of police.

“Is that all you wanted, Tsunade-san?” he said, dropping the pretense that he was anything but annoyed to see her.

“For now. I need to get back.” Despite saying this, the woman hesitated to leave.

Unable to bear her dawdling, he added, “Naruto-kun isn’t here. He wasn’t with Kiba-kun either.”

“Of course.” She bowed her head in a quick farewell, finally leaving his office.

Putting his hand through his greying hair, he noticed he needed a haircut as it was starting to get into his eyes, and slicking it back was becoming less effective.

He stepped out of his office to watch the three boys relieved of their handcuffs and set free without charges yet again. Shikamaru and Sai were released to Tsunade-san as usual. Both teens looked indifferent to their situation even when their principal/school chairman gave them a scathing look. Neither teen was ever expressive, but as long as he had known them, they weren’t bad kids. They were smart, even knowing the law to the extent that they could put him in a bind, but none of their crimes were ever filled with malicious intent. In fact, they only ever seemed to be in trouble because of the Hyuuga kid.

Hyuuga, Neji sat in front of the station in the waiting room, waiting to be picked up by someone. Being in his line of work, Asuma could understand why the kid constantly found trouble. The first couple of times he had been arrested, he had been picked up immediately by his uncle. The kid had shrunk back at the man’s presence, trying to become invisible. Soon after, his uncle didn’t even bother to come, sending a servant to retrieve him. Gradually, not even that. There were times, he’d wait an entire day until the police department let him go out of pity. Being on an island where everyone knew everyone was handy in times like that. It allowed Asuma to bend the rules when situations such a Neji’s popped up.

Preparing a cup of green tea, he handed it to the teen, who took it automatically, not even looking at him. The kid just looked empty, no trace of the smug attitude he had when he was questioned. He just drank from the steaming cup periodically, preparing himself for the long wait until the police took pity on him and let him go to school in the morning.

“Hyuuga.”

Both Asuma’s and Neji’s heads shot up at who called him, surprised at how quickly someone came to claim him. Gaara, another one of the “untouchables” as Asuma liked to call the teen criminals who seemed immune to the law, waited just in front of the automated doors. He looked like he had rolled out of bed, his hair astray, his eyes red, and t-shirt and jeans wrinkled.

Neji broke eye contact with him, staring into the cup in his hands like a scolded child, unusually silent.

“Neji,” Gaara said again. It lacked the sharp edge this time. “I’m losing sleep.”

The odd statement seemed to gain the other teen's attention, guilt flashing across his features. “You have a spare room?” he asked, looking up.

“I don’t answer stupid questions,” came the reply.

Neji let slip a small smile. “Forgive my stupidity then.”

Asuma let the kid go. It was better than letting him sit in the station all night or let him go wandering the streets until morning. He’d let Neji’s guardian know of his whereabouts, not that the man seemed to care much of where his nephew was.

He left a message with a servant in the Hyuuga household and finished filing the complaint Uchiha had put in. Usokawa gave him another stack of paperwork that had to be completed by tomorrow afternoon when a stray thought entered his mind. If Gaara was with Neji and Kiba was in the hospital, where was Naruto?

* * *

Naruto woke with a start, his hand flying to his neck. Feeling no break in the skin or wetness, he exhaled in relief. It was all just a dream. He laughed nervously. Just a dream. It had felt so real, but he was home in his bed with no sign of injury. His breathing slowed until a loud bang on his door made him jump a mile high.

"Naruto! I know you're having a wonderful wet dream about my latest book but get dressed. It's time for breakfast."

Grinning, Naruto threw the blankets off, making his way to the door and flinging it wide open. "You wish, pervert. I was just dreaming of the last time you put me into the hospital from your cooking."

He smiled at his guardian who smiled at him affectionately. His guardian, Jiraiya, was a man in his late fifties. He was tall, well built, and always wearing a yukata even in public. His life as an author surprisingly involved a lot of travel, but he took him in when he had become an orphan. He wasn't the best guardian, but he did his best. Like try to make pancakes for his birthday.

"I didn't make it this time," the old man assured him. "Tsunade did. Now get dressed. You have to leave for school in 15 minutes."

Naruto didn't wait for Jiraiya to walk off. He searched his room for semi-clean clothes, throwing them on, then rushing down the stairs after his guardian. He was in such a rush; he didn't notice the blood-stained shirt lying on the floor in the corner.


	3. Explaination

Sasuke stared out the heavily tinted window, observing the activity on the other side with mild boredom. Throngs of uniformed students passed by his limousine, conspicuously looking at the vehicle before turning to their group of friends to gossip before heading through the front gate towards the school. He took a sip from his wine glass, the content too thick to be wine by the way it sloshed around in its container. Humans were annoying, little more than vicious wolves allowed to roam as they pleased, so that they may rip each other to shreds by their greed. A blond hair teen walked past his town car, paying it no attention as he went by, a bubble of space around him and the other students. Well, maybe not all of them.

"Are you certain you wish to do this, young master?" his driver asked. "Your reputation alone will be enough to cause a stir."

On the top floor in the east wing of the school, Sasuke could make out the sharp hazel eyes of a busty, brunette principal staring at him through a partially opened window. "This is my best lead, and I have already made the necessary arrangements and compromises with them."

"If you keep talking like that, young master, they'll never think you're just 18 years old." His driver turned in his seat to give him a dopey grin. "You're a teenager, remember."

"Hn, I'm well aware." Tilting his glass back, he finished the rest of his beverage, placing the empty glass down.

His driver looked worried, nervous even. "About the boy…" he trailed off.

"He will be dealt with. I just let him go on a whim." He smirked a little. "Maybe he'll lead us to whom we are looking for." He opened the door himself, ignoring the indignant sputtering of his driver about not letting him do his job.

"I will be here by noon, young master," he called out after him.

Sasuke closed the door without bothering to respond. Eyes were on him as he walked the path to the entrance. Not unexpected. He was prepared for this much. It was the eyes that weren't directly following his every move that he had to be wary of. Shouldering his bag, he followed the students inside.

* * *

Naruto hit his head against his shoe locker. The morning started out fine. Tsunade came over to make pancakes for his birthday which he managed to devour in record time. His school uniform was wrinkled, and he forgot his blazer. He didn't think it was a big deal. He always borrowed the school sweater vest from Kiba on days like this, except his friend didn't show up at his doorstep that morning as he usually did.

He waited as long as he could, even getting scolded by Tsunade about being late for school, but he stayed until he could not wait another second. Somehow, he still managed to get to school on time, taking his bike rather than walking. Despite the late October air, it felt hot. Sweltering even. He loosened his tie and unbuttoned the top, but it didn't help. By the end of the trip, he felt extremely tired and surprisingly hungry.

With lethargic movements, he opened his locker, pulling out his indoor ones, and changed shoes. He just put on his last shoe when his side was poked, making him jump in surprise.

"Happy birthday, Cherry-kun."

The fake smile Sai gave him was enough to irritate Naruto let alone the nickname. He hated it when he just appeared out of nowhere like that.

"Morning to you too, asshole," he murmured, not putting up a fight. He yawned, not bothering to cover his mouth before he did so. Sai was watching him with such concentration it was beginning to him uncomfortable. "Where's Hyuuga?"

Sai stared at him for a moment longer before answering. "I would guess at the station. We were caught trespassing last night."

"And you're out because…"

Sai gave him another fake smile that was borderline creepy. "Let's just say, it is simple to escape the custody of the Japanese police force with the right bargaining methods."

The way it was said made it difficult not to find a sexual meaning in it, so he decided not to ask. If anything, it was probably just his family's influence again, just like most of the students here, not that many of them got into frequent enough trouble to use their family name.

Sai continued to stare, and finally, Naruto couldn't take it anymore, rounding on the teen. "Is there any reason why you're staring at me?"

Sai didn't even blink. "No," he said slowly after some time. "I just thought you looked a bit pale. You'd usually be yelling at me by now."

"Must be the lighting," Naruto said, waving him off. "I'm just tired."

"Right." Sai was looking at him strangely, even for him. "Have you gone to see Inuzuka-kun yet? He looked to be in pretty bad shape last night. I thought something might have happened to you too."

This woke Naruto up, making him stand a bit straighter when he asked, "What do you mean last night? What happened?"

Sai froze with a subtle "I shouldn't have said that" expression that he tried to hide. Naruto was about to press him for more details when the bell rang. "I have to get to class." Before Naruto could say another world, Sai had left.

It didn't really matter. They were in the same class, so he would corner him eventually, but he was worried about Kiba. The dream he had last night came back to him. He swore he went to the mansion last night. It had definitely been very vivid in his memory and felt real, but he didn't remember going home, so he assumed it was just another one of those dreams. But in the dream, Kiba had escaped. On the off chance that it was real, what could have happened between Kiba's escape and now?

He shook his head. The entire dream was ridiculous to begin with. Besides, he was still alive, wasn't he? In the dream, he had died.

He walked into class, still deep in thought, but took time to notice who was there and who wasn't. As usual, there was disorganization that usually came with homeroom with the majority of his class not at their assigned desks. As always, their science and homeroom teacher Hatake-sensei was nowhere to be seen. The only thing consistent about Hatake-sensei was that he was late to homeroom period every morning, so everyone was huddled with their friends in small circles looking at magazines, playing games, or listening to music.

Sakura was chatting away with Hyuuga, Hinata, the younger cousin of Hyuuga, Neji. She had long black hair pulled back into a ponytail with her bangs partially covering her face. Like Neji, she had the same strange colored eyes, but she was quieter and more reserved than her cousin with a soft and pleasant personality. The girl looked up at his entrance and smiled shyly at him before resuming her quiet conversation with Sakura. While normally he would have at least greeted his girlfriend, he wasn't quite in the mood, especially since she was squealing over some guy in a magazine with two other girls.

His eyes wandered over the class until he found his target. Gaara was lying his head down on his desk. As usual, there was a bubble around him that screamed, "Do not disturb." A warning majority of the class took to heart as proven by the surrounding empty desks. Naturally, that meant he had to disturb his friend. Hanging his bag on the hook attached to his desk, he moved the piece of furniture closer until it was touching Gaara's.

"Another sleepless night?" he asked.

Gaara, turned his head enough so a green eye could peek out from the comfort of his arms. The permanent bags under the redhead's eyes were darker than normal, clearly telling Naruto that he hadn't been able to sleep a wink the night before. "Care to explain why you look dead, Uzumaki?"

"I'm exhausted." Naruto laid his head down on his desk too. "I overslept, Baa-chan wouldn't wait to give me a ride, something happened to Kiba, and I have no idea what, and the girl I'm dating is obsessing over some guy in a magazine," he whined.

"You also got a 32 on your science quiz."

Naruto groaned. "How do you even know that?"

"I had to grade papers with…for Hatake." Gaara sat up and rested his chin in his hand, watching the blond sulk with his apathetic face.

Naruto sighed, turning his head to the side. "How'd you get detention?"

Gaara sat quietly for several minutes. Naruto figured he wasn't going to answer, letting his thoughts wander when Gaara spoke up. "I stabbed someone's hand with my chopstick during lunch."

Naruto tried not to laugh, but the smile kept widening on his face. "And you did this why?"

"They wouldn't stop talking to me," he said. It was said with such little inflection, it could almost make one believe that it was a legitimate reason to harm another student.

Shaking his head in a combination of amusement, fascination, and exasperation, Naruto lifted his head. "How'd you convince them not to suspend you this time?"

Gaara's eyes darted off to the side. "I told them it was an accident."

This time Naruto did sigh disapprovingly. "You threatened them again didn't you."

"More or less…." Gaara's tone stated that the conversation was over, and he was finished speaking which was okay with Naruto. Gaara was the one person he could be with and not feel obligated to say something. His eyes pulled closed as he basked in the classroom's idle chitchat.

"Teacher," Nara, who was also the class representative called out as Hatake-sensei walked in. Everyone hurried to put their desks back to their proper place and stand for the teacher's entrance. "Bow," he called out.

Naruto ignored the morning greeting, already dozing off into his morning nap. Gaara also ignored the greeting as it was usual for him to do. A few students sent them a glare which Gaara returned much more effectively, unnerving the other students into looking ahead.

"Good morning, class. I have an announcement today. A new student will be joining us." He went on about where transfer student was from and his accomplishments or something. Naruto had zoned out after the first word. What happened to Kiba, he wondered. Maybe he could skip after lunch. He could give Tsunade a pack of her favorite beer as an apology, surely, she couldn't stay mad at him for checking up on his friend, right?

"Please become good friends with Uchiha, Sasuke."

Naruto's head shot up at the name. In front of the room stood a tall teen. His skin was clear and smooth without a single blemish, his body thin but with lean muscle that made him look graceful but still masculine, his hair was a fine black, neatly trimmed, and his eyes a captivating, obsidian black. It was the eyes that Naruto recognized. The chill he got when looking into them as if he was staring into the eyes of a predator.

Uchiha smiled at the class, but it didn't reach the depths of his eyes. "It is a pleasure to meet you. My name is Uchiha, Sasuke. My hobbies are reading and listening to classical music. I will be your classmate from now on, so please take good care of me," he bowed.

Naruto stood up, knocking his chair to the floor, scuffling back in terror into the desk behind him, a long stream of curses streaming from his mouth in his shock. The action drew the attention of the entire class, even Gaara, but they didn't matter. He couldn't get his eyes off that face smiling at him in the front of the room.

"Uzumaki-kun, is there a reason why you found it necessary to curse out our new student." Naruto's eyes glanced at Hatake-sensei then back at Uchiha. The teen's mouth worked wordlessly, gaping like a goldfish, unable to find any other words.

"I'm sure it's just because he's never seen a celebrity before, Sensei. I have a lot of fans like him." Uchiha, Sasuke walked towards him. Everyone around them seemed to grow further and further away as the distance between Uchiha and Naruto shortened. Each step seemed to echo in Naruto's mind as if it wanted Naruto to know, to feel, that each passing moment his chances to escape were dwindling into nothing.

Uchiha stopped beside his desk and bowed deeply. "I'll be in your care from today onwards, Uzumaki-kun. I hope we get along."

"Um... yeah," was the only thing he could offer. Uchiha righted himself, still smiling politely.

"Well since you're over there, you can take the empty seat behind Uzumaki. Our class representative, Nara-kun will show you around."

"Yes, Sensei," Uchiha said, continuing past Naruto to take the seat behind him while Naruto picked his chair off the floor, his hands shaking.

"Move your desk back to its proper place while you are at it, Uzumaki-kun," Hatake-sensei tacked on, already turning to write on the blackboard.

He chuckled at himself shakily, trying to laugh off his nerves. Really. Vampires didn't exist. He hadn't even really gotten a good look at the attacker in the dream. It had been too dark. He was just projecting his fears onto Uchiha since he just so happened to transfer. Besides, the way he spoke was different in the dream. Then it was cocky and condescending, not to mention way out of date. This one was polite and modern. So what if getting a transfer at this time of year never happened before. There was a first time for everything.

He sat back down, and the teacher started class. Today's lesson was on mental disorders. Normally, Naruto would sleep or daydream through the early morning lessons, but today he was steadily taking notes, chewing on the end of his pencil as he did so.

Something touched the back of his neck, a feather-soft touch similar to a soft breath of air. Fear racked up his spine and the side of his neck began to burn. The same spot where he dreamed of being bitten. Fear locked his joints, making him unable to turn around. No, he was unable to move at all, unable to bring himself to even breathe. Surely someone saw what was going on, right?

Then the voice whispered into his ear, "Meet me on the roof after class." There was no mistaking that condescending tone. It was him. It was definitely him.

No. He refused to be controlled by fear. Not again. Gathering his courage, he spun around in his seat only to see Uchiha taking notes without a hair out of place. Uchiha looked up at him and smiled. "Is something wrong, Uzumaki-kun?" he asked politely.

Naruto faced forward once again. His hand went to his neck, ensuring the skin was really smooth. It had to be a dream. It had to be...

But he was afraid. For the first time in his life, he never wanted the class to end.

But class did come to an end. The moment Hatake-sensei left and independent study began, Naruto ran out of the classroom and down the corridor. If he went there, and Uchiha didn't show up, then it was just his imagination. It was just the voices again. He prayed it was just the voices.

He pushed the roof door open, searching wildly for Uchiha. Not seeing him, Naruto exhaled heavily, not even considering the fact that Uchiha could still be coming since he had left the classroom first. It was just the voice again, messing with his head. He walked to the railing surrounding the edge of the roof and leaned against it, overlooking the school grounds. It was just inside his head. Last night didn't really happen.

"You sure took a long time getting here."

Naruto whirled around, looking around frantically for where the voice had from. On top of the roof entrance, Uchiha, Sasuke sat. The polite face that he had worn in class had been replaced with a condescending one. There was something strange about him, like a power surrounding him that gave him an unearthly look as the sun shone behind him. Instead of giving him a halo, it gave him a dark silhouette and gave him a more menacing appearance.

"Who the hell are you," Naruto whispered.

"Idiot." Uchiha stood up, shoving his hands into his pockets and casually jumping down. "For the last time, I am Uchiha, Sasuke. I am a vampire."

Naruto shook his head with a disbelieving laugh. "Really. You expect me to believe something as stupid as that?" His grip tightened on the railing, reminding himself there was nowhere to go but down. "You really need to find yourself some help. Gaara can recommend a great psychologist."

"Then tell me, moron, how would you explain it?" He asked lifting an eyebrow. "You can explain last night, can't you?"

"Uh, genetic mutations?" he guessed, leaning back when the so-called vampire approached him.

Uchiha gave a snort of disbelief, leaning forward and grabbing the railing on either side of Naruto, trapping him in place. "Is that really what you want to go with?"

He was too close for comfort. Naruto moved to knee him in the crotch, but Uchiha released the railing and moved back, just out of reach. "Have you ever heard of personal space?!" he yelled. Uchiha didn't even look phased. He kept that look on his face as if he was the gods' gift to the world. An expression Naruto was more than familiar with at this school and annoyed him to no end.

But seriously how did one handle delusional psychopaths? If that dream was true, and that was a big if, there could be lots of explanations for it, right? It was dark. Modern technology could make the strangest things seem real. It was just some prank. A prank that landed Kiba in the hospital. It, however, didn't explain this paralyzing fear of whenever Uchiha looked at him. Or why, if he was actually bitten, wasn't dead.

"How did I get back home last night?" he asked quietly, staring at the ground.

There was a plop, and his wallet skid into view. "You shouldn't carry a wallet when committing a crime, idiot. It's amazing you're not in prison yet."

Naruto bent down to pick it up, keeping his eyes on Uchiha. "Doesn't really matter when everyone in town knows who I am anyway."

"If you had managed to commit breaking and entering successfully without being seen but dropped your wallet, you'd have a new entry to your rather pathetic list of petty crimes."

"You looked at my file!"

Uchiha gave him the "of course" look, which made Naruto groan, momentarily forgetting his fear and giving him a much needed moment to recollect his thoughts. "Okay. Fine. Let me humor you. Pretend for a second that I believe you. What happens now?"

"You will turn. Obviously." The arrogant tone was granting on Naruto's nerves. Wiping a hand over his face, he tried to reign in his thinning patience. This entire conversation was stupid. This was complete and utter nonsense. "You don't believe me," Uchiha stated matter of fact.

"How can I? I mean. Just," he waved frantically at Uchiha's direction, "look at you. You're standing out in the sun. Isn't that like the number one vampire myth? Minus comics and romance novels."

The vampire turned his back to him, heading towards the door. "The sun is damaging to the body. Right now, the UV rays are destroying your skin and radiating your cells. That constant damage has to be repaired. For a vampire, that equates to hunger. The longer they stay exposed, the more frequently they feed. Meaning they need to hunt more frequently. That exposes them to the risk of being exposed. It takes decades of practice to learn to control and ignore that hunger, but eventually," he locked the door just as someone jiggled the handle, "it has to be sated."

Naruto wasn't even going to ask where he got the key. It was obvious the lunatic had planned out this little meeting. "So I guess that rules out coffins. How about stakes?"

"It's one of two ways to kill a vampire." Uchiha leaned against the door. "Destroy the heart beyond repair or a full decapitation. Both of which are not easy to do."

"You know what, you're full of shit," Naruto said, finally regaining his courage to approach Uchiha, refusing to be afraid any longer. "If what you said was true, I'd be changing, but nothing's happened. I'm still the same."

"It takes 26 days for the complete transformation. Normally, you'd still be incapacitated from blood loss. Even I'm surprised about your quick recovery."

"I'm a quick healer," he said dryly. "Now move before I make you."

Uchiha smirked. "Try it."

He grabbed the front of Uchiha's blazer, raising his fist to hit that annoying smirk off his face, throwing his weight behind the punch. Then suddenly, he was grasping and punching air and there was a shove from behind, making him fall forward after his swing's follow-through. Unprepared, he fell face first into the door, hard.

Warm blood trickled down Naruto's forehead from a small gash. His hand shot up to wipe it away, cursing his luck and everything happening to him. He turned just slightly to check where the other teen had disappeared only to be shoved against the door with a hand against his chest that he couldn't dislodge.

"Denial isn't becoming," Uchiha said. He didn't look like he was exerting any power in keeping Naruto pinned. Slowly, he leaned in close, eyes glued on the trail of blood.

Naruto held doubts about Uchiha being a vampire. Who wouldn't? The story was something out of a fairytale or a horror movie depending on who you asked. He wasn't even a spiritual person. He didn't go to the shrines, Buddhist or Shinto, to pray or even attend the festivals at those places. He just could not bring himself to believe that spirits and/or gods occupied the small roadside shrines throughout the island.

Yet here, as he was trapped against the door unable to budge, Uchiha's gaze held more restraint than the hand against his chest. They were black like any other average Japanese person, yet they seemed inhuman. Instinctively, Naruto knew he was food and that the hunter had caught its prey and restraining itself from attacking, fixated on the blood that was trailing down his forehead.

**_Are you going to let fear control you, brat? Are you that weak?_ **

The weakness in his legs disappeared, finding the strength to grab the wrist pinning him down and dug his nails into Uchiha's skin, drawing blood. "Let go," his voice deepened into a growl.

Uchiha blinked, then shifted his gaze to Naruto's hand and the blood now trailing down his arm. There was a slight crease of confusion in his face before it smoothed into stoicism. With ease, he ripped his arm away from Naruto's grip, and he turned his back to him, taking a few steps away towards the roof railing.

"Any more questions?" Uchiha asked as if he had lost interest in the conversation.

Nonetheless, Naruto appreciated the sudden lack of direct attention. For a moment, he had believed what Uchiha said. But he still couldn't explain the overwhelming strength or the speed that Naruto's eyes could not follow. It was beyond human movement. Was there any other possible explanation other than what Uchiha offered?

"You said 26 days, right?" Naruto said, quietly. "What will happen during that time?"

The wind picked up, making the self-proclaimed vampire's blazer and tie flutter. The air was warm and there wasn't a cloud in the sky, yet it seemed foreboding, adding to the weight to Uchiha's words when he spoke. "Your body will slowly begin to change. Your heart rate will slow until it is nearly non-existent. Human food will lose its taste to you, and it will become difficult to keep down. Eventually, the change will take its toll on your body, and you will have a seizure followed by several days of unbearable pain as the last transformations take place. By the time you regain consciousness, you will become one of us."

Each passing sentence weighed heavier and heavier on Naruto's mind. "So you're saying in about four weeks…I'll be a monster."

Uchiha turned around to face him. There wasn't an ounce of sympathy on his face as he replied, "If that's what you want to call yourself."

Naruto chuckled lowly, shaking his head as he smiled. "Perfect," he said under his breath. "Just perfect. I guess the outside will match the inside now."

"What do you mean by that?"

With a wave of his hand, Naruto dismissed Uchiha's question. "Nothing. Absolutely nothing." Naruto removed his tie casually, shoving it into his pocket. Shoulder's slightly slouched and hands in his pockets, the teen turned, heading towards the door.

"Where do you think you're going, moron?"

"You put Kiba in the hospital, didn't you?" He said not turning around. "I'm going to go see him."

"I didn't say you could leave."

The cold voice of Uchiha's had less of an effect on him now that his back was towards him. It was nearly laughable at how elitist he sounded. It may have been funny if this school wasn't filled with people like him. If Uchiha's eyes didn't unnerve him as they did, he'd have equated Uchiha to any other student at this school, albeit a psychotic one. "I didn't ask."

Naruto had just reached out for the door, remembering that Uchiha had locked it, when the vampire said, "Then I guess I will have to come with you, so we can finish our conversation."

Naruto's already thin patience boiled over at that point, whipping around to find Uchiha only a step away. The close distance didn't deter him, instead fueling his anger as he snarled, "Don't you dare go near him."

Most people would have back down. When Naruto lost his temper, people backed off and cowered. It was how it always was. Uchiha didn't look remotely scared. In fact, he had a look of mild interest, not even looking away from his eyes. "Do you think you could stop me?"

No. Naruto knew he couldn't. His fists clenched at his sides, concentrating on breathing in and out slowly and reigning in his fury. "If you harm him, you'll regret it."

Uchiha leaned past him, unlocking the door without looking away. "I'd like to see you try." He opened the door. "After you."

Deciding physical altercations would not be in his best interest at this moment, Naruto decided to leave, ignoring the fact that Uchiha was in fact following. He meant what he said. If Uchiha hurt Kiba, he'd find a way to kill him, one way or another.

 ** _A cute thought, Kit, but he's way out of your league,_** came a dark chuckle _. **I could take care of him if you like. Give me five minutes.**_

Naruto continued down the stairs, muttering an excuse me to a student who scurried away at the sight of him.

**_Fine. I can wait. Twenty-six days to be exact._ **


	4. Hospital Visit

That meeting had been...educational to put it politely. Sasuke followed Naruto from behind, watching the teen slowly calm down and release his anger. He had noticed a lot of things since entering the gates of the school, but nothing had been more helpful yet confusing than his interaction with Naruto.

When he had walked into the classroom, his first view of Uzumaki had been the typical delinquent. The teacher had not bothered trying to lecture him to put his desk into the correct spot, nor did he scold the teen for not standing and bowing. He concluded that it was typical behavior from the teen and the teacher had tired of fighting it or did not care. Sitting in the class, Sasuke had leaned towards the later.

Uzumaki's initial reaction to recognizing him had been amusing and rather expected. A combination of panic, disbelief, and uncertainty. That was within the norm. As was Uzumaki's panic when he left the classroom towards the roof. What began to derail from his expectations was when Uzumaki had injured himself.

He shouldn't be feeling hungry. Sasuke had fed twice in the past week, yet with just a whiff of the metallic smell his teeth had ached to bite. With the close proximity, he had felt Uzumaki's heart beating out of control beneath the palm of his hand. Fear was a wonderful intoxicant. Adrenaline especially made the blood strengthen in flavor while cortisol made the blood sweeter.

Uzumaki's blood had been different. His blood was full of flavor, but without the overpowering sweetness to match. It was like his adrenaline was always going, but the stress didn't seem to come along with it. As Sasuke wasn't a fan of the sweet things, the flavor without the drawback was welcomed, but realistically not possible, until now that was.

Perhaps that was the source of why he ached to drink more when the scent was caught by him, but it only raised more questions.

The second thing that derailed everything was Uzumaki breaking his skin with his bare nails. Vampire skin was soft, but it wasn't quite as fragile as human skin. A knife he could understand, nails were another story. Nevertheless, the slight sting had brought him out of his trance, and he had taken the opportunity to collect himself and reign in his hunger and thoughts.

The third thing was unexpected. As the teen removed his tie, the fear the teen had exhibited vanished, replaced with a cold persona, lacking the fear and anxiety he had exuberated moments before. He had looked down at Sasuke at the end of his nose as if he was nothing more than an insect. At that moment, he was a different person altogether. The change had left as quickly as it had come, ending when Uzumaki slouched, shoved his hands in his pockets, and turned to leave.

The fourth thing however was not something he could easily ignore. He had not lied about needing to speak with him but simply saying he would accompany Uzumaki to the hospital had the teenager become more viscous than when his own life had been in jeopardy. It was within that heat of anger, that for a moment, Uzumaki's physical appearance changed. It was a flash, hard to notice by a normal human. Fiery red irises and sharpened nails. A fraction of a second, but Sasuke had caught it. He was beginning to see why Uzumaki was in that class.

Now, as they were making their way through the school, Sasuke observed the way other students made an effort to avoid Uzumaki, one even going so far as to stop and change directions. Uzumaki was becoming more and more of an enigma every passing second.

"It's your first day of school. Won't you get in trouble for skipping?"

Uzumaki's question came seemingly out of nowhere. He had stopped and was now facing him. With his sleeves rolled up, his tie missing, top shirt buttons undone, blond hair, and his slouched posture, Uzumaki fit the image of a stereotype delinquent, a stark contrast to Sasuke's perfectly pressed uniform and neat and tidy appearance, yet Uzumaki's face was one mixed with annoyance and genuine worry.

"I have already made an arrangement with the school regarding my frequent absences. As long as I keep up with my school work, I can come and go as I please."

Uzumaki's nose scrunched up in distaste. "I don't even think you realize how stuck up you sound. How old are you anyway? You sound like the rich old guys who fund this place." Sasuke frowned, sending a glare at Uzumaki who snickered. "I'm guessing pretty damn old."

Uzumaki was still snickering as they descended to the first floor of the building. The school was divided into an east wing and west wing with a connecting walkway on the south end, forming a u-shape from an aerial view. The third-year classes occupied the west wing's second floor. A line of cherry trees led from the gate of the school to the connecting walkway where the school's shoe lockers resided. Sasuke could imagine how gorgeous it probably was at the beginning of the school year with the cherry trees in bloom and their petals raining down in a gentle flurry. Now as winter approached, the trees had turned into a path lined with various orange and reds.

Uzumaki hadn't stopped by the classroom to pick up his school bag. As it was his first day, Sasuke had not purchased his books, so he had nothing to really bring, Uzumaki, in contrast, most likely didn't care. He didn't seem like he was much for school. As he waited for Uzumaki to put on his street shoes, Sasuke watched the trees sway in the wind, the orange-tinted sunlight, streaming through the glass entrance that took up the entire wall.

"Leaving already?"

Uzumaki nearly jumped out of his skin when the voice had spoken up from behind them. Sasuke however turned much more leisurely. The class representative Nara, Shikamaru stood with his hands in his pockets staring at Sasuke with a disinterested expression, but his gaze was focused on him with unusual attention for the usually laid-back teen.

Sasuke smiled politely. "Yes, I already notified the principal about my early dismissals for my job."

Nara didn't respond to him, instead looking at Uzumaki. "What's your excuse?"

Uzumaki smiled guiltily. "Can you not tell Baa-chan? Just this once?"

Nara gave a half shrug. "It's none of my business if you leave or not," his eyes shot over to Sasuke, "Only him." Scratching the back of his neck, he muttered, "Being class rep is a pain."

Uzumaki smiled. "Then stop being so good at it," he threw in teasingly.

Nara snorted, the beginnings of a smile twitching on his lips. "Give my regards to Inuzuka-san."

"I will."

Nara shot another look towards Sasuke, bowing his head just slightly. "Uchiha-san."

"Nara-san," the vampire responded. Despite saying their goodbyes, Nara watched them leave, his eyes never leaving him.

"I wonder what's up with him," Uzumaki said, thinking out loud. "He's never actually done his job seriously as long as I've known him."

Sasuke didn't answer, instead pulling out his cellphone.

When they reached the gate, Uzumaki was turning left when Sasuke grabbed his arm. "We'll take my car."

Uzumaki growled at the rough treatment, yanking his arm away. "What car?"

Just as he asked the question, a stretch limo pulled up. Uzumaki's eyes went wide, lighting up. "We're taking this?"

Sasuke just raised an eyebrow, opening the car door. "After you."

Uzumaki's eyes shifted, signaling his hesitance to get into the vehicle. It seemed he wasn't completely airheaded, thinking of the consequences of getting into a stranger's car, especially one as dangerous as Sasuke. However, there was a glint of eagerness in his eyes, and that part of Uzumaki appear to win over his doubts, getting in. Sasuke slid in after him.

"Master, are you okay? You called sooner than I expected."

"I'm fine, Tobi," Sasuke said, watching Uzumaki observe his surroundings including his driver. Tobi had a face of a man in his early twenties, his hair styled as a young businessman would. There were no traits that would have set him apart from normal Japanese society if it wasn't for the scar over the right side of his face. His right eye was closed, showing that the injury hadn't missed his eye and most likely damaged or lost. "Take us to the hospital."

"Hospital?" Tobi's right eye glanced at Uzumaki with a curious gaze. "Sure thing."

Not even five minutes had passed before Uzumaki was constantly fidgeting, shifting in his seat and shaking his leg. If it was a normal person, it would be out of anxiety, but Uzumaki's constant glancing at the buttons, juice bar, and driver gave away how excited he was, like a child wanting to explore.

"Haven't you been in a limo before?"

Uzumaki's face flushed at being caught. "It's not like everyone is born rich, bastard."

"It's a safe bet with the high school tuition. I highly doubt you're in on scholarship."

Glaring, Uzumaki leaned forward to play with the buttons after all, testing each and every one to Sasuke's annoyance. "Well, I'm not. Neither is Kiba, and we aren't exactly popular. Gaara has money, but he’d rather chew off his arm than use it. The most he lets us use is the private car, but it's still just a car. Not any different than getting a ride from Baa-chan."

"I have a hard time believing that, Naruto-kun. I've only just met you and you seem like a nice boy. I'm sure you're more popular than you think," Tobi chimed in.

Shock overtook Uzumaki's features followed by disbelief. "Really?" Adjusting himself, he scooted closer to the divider, resting his arms on opening. "You must not have met many people."

Tobi chuckled. "On the contrary, I have met many people throughout my lifetime. Uchiha-sama especially has some, shall we say, very unique acquaintances."

"Really? What's it like working for such an asshole anyway?"

"Well," Tobi's voice dropped into a stage whisper, taking his eyes off the winding mountain road. "Not as bad as you probably think. If you don't consider his temper... or that time he used me as a hostage... or that time he used me as bait... or that time," Tobi was cut off by a wine glass shattering next to his head against the windshield, causing both Tobi and Uzumaki to duck and protect their eyes. More amazingly, Tobi hadn't even jerked the wheel at the sudden attack, merely leaning forward and wiping off the broken glass from the dashboard.

Uzumaki turned, glaring holes at Sasuke who didn't have a single hair out of place. "Are you crazy! You could have killed us!"

"Don't worry, Naruto-kun. A little thing like that wouldn't distract me," he laughed as if it was just a small prank. "Besides, I get my revenge during our sparring matches."

"Sparring matches?"

* * *

Naruto took a liking to Tobi. He was funny, lighthearted, and interesting. During their conversation, Tobi had told him of his rather impressive weapons collection, ranging from medieval Europe to modern guns, as well as the different martial arts he had picked up in his travels. There was plenty of time to go into detail about the topic. While there was a clinic in Konoha, Kiba had been sent to the hospital on the other side of the island. Located on this side of the island was the tourist spots. A bustling coastal city with shiny, new buildings, brand named stores and hotels, and sandy beaches, it was where Konoha made most of its revenue minus the school. Most locals only traveled to this side to work. Likewise, very few tourists wandered into the smaller city on the other side. It was an hour's drive between the two, which allowed Naruto plenty of time for his questions.

However, the moment the limo came to a stop in front of the hospital, Naruto bolted from the car, not bothering to even close the limo door in his haste, heading inside. Sasuke followed at a slower pace, not that Naruto cared. If he could lose him, the better.

Naruto only paused long enough to ask for the patient room. The nurse smiled at him politely, but Naruto didn't miss the glance at his blond hair and the strain in her smile as the result. He never had to dress like a delinquent for people to assume he was one. With slight hesitation, as if considering whether or not he would cause trouble if she told him, she gave him Kiba's room number.

Used to the treatment, he just gave her a large smile, bowing fully and almost hitting his head on the service counter in his haste, thanking her. As he turned, he missed the slight blush on the nurse's face.

Kiba's room was near the end of the hallway in one of the private rooms. That in itself was strange since the Inuzuka family was on the lower end of the income spectrum, so it was understandable that Naruto assumed that perhaps he had misheard the information. That was until he saw a very familiar dog, peeking out of the doorway, staring at him with what Naruto was sure was malice.

Naruto chuckled nervously, approaching with exaggerated slowness. "Akamaru," Naruto said as the dog began to growl. "We're friends, right?" Akamaru was a large Akita. A very large Akita. He bordered on nearly 80cm tall, making it as tall as any wolf with the thickness and strength of an Akita to back it up. His pure white fur added more to his intimidating figure as Naruto more than once swore he had caught specks of blood marring it in the past. Even so, Naruto loved animals, it just seemed Akamaru didn't share the sentiment. Narrowing his eyes, Akamaru disappeared into the room, and Naruto let a soft sigh, entering the room as well.

Akamaru had moved to the foot of Kiba's bed, sitting straight up and at attention as if on guard duty. In the bed, Kiba was propped up with a PSP in his hands. His head was wrapped with bandages, his left cheek was scratched up and skinned and his arm was in a sling, but overall, he was okay. Naruto released a breath he didn't know he was holding. Kiba was okay.

Kiba wasn't aware of Naruto's presence immediately, too preoccupied with his game, so Naruto moved further into the room, sitting in the chair provided. "And here I was wondering whether I should be worried about you or pissed that you didn't seem to come back for me."

The sound of Naruto's voice startled Kiba where an indecent, high-pitched squeak left his throat, and Naruto's pseudo angry face morphed into a smile.

"Shit, you're alive!" The blankets were tangled around Kiba's legs as he tried to kick them off to get closer and failing.

"Calm down, Kiba. I'm fine," he lied. "I'm just glad you're okay."

Pausing, Kiba looked over Naruto carefully until he cautiously leaned back against his pillows. "What happened last night?" he asked. The tone of Kiba's voice was one of uncertainty. "I thought you were captured by that psycho."

"He let me go. It was just a prank set up by Nijima," Naruto leaned back in his chair, attempting to look calm though he didn't feel like it. He couldn't let Kiba worry unnecessarily. Kiba was loyal, just like Gaara, but just like a dog, he would try to protect Naruto without thinking. Naruto didn't know what Uchiha's intention was, so it was best not to get Kiba further involved. "How are you affording this room anyway?"

Kiba's face turned sour like he had just sucked a lemon. "Tsunade-san, I think. I was a bit out of it when they brought me here. There aren't many Americans on the island."

That was true. Despite being a foreigner, his godmother held a lot of power and authority on the island, knowing everyone and having a lot of power even over the police. It had been common since he was young. He would get in trouble, and Tsunade would make it all go away. He never really thought of it as strange until Kiba continued. "Hey, Naruto, why are we even at that school?"

Naruto shrugged. "It's the only high school on the island. Where else are we going to go?"

"Yeah, but it's still one of the top schools in the country. The exam to get in is ridiculously hard and the tuition alone is enough to keep the town going. Gaara's smart, so I know why he's there despite causing problems, but me and you don't make sense."

Silence followed as Naruto thought. "What brought this on?" he asked avoiding eye contact with his friend, staring at nothing in particular.

"I'm sitting in a private hospital room with Akamaru two meters away," he gestured widely with his uninjured arm. "I mean it's cool, but it's just too weird."

Naruto struggled to keep his face passive. He knew what Kiba was hinting at, that both he and Kiba were only getting by thanks to Tsunade, making them no different than the other elite students. No, they were worse. They had connections to the one woman who could change the rules on the island, even bypassing the exam, reducing tuition, and eliminating their extensive records when she saw fit. "Tsunade does what she wants. It's not like I can tell her to stop."

"I know that." Kiba looked down at his bedsheets, rubbing his injured shoulder. "Sorry. It's not my place to bring it up."

"No, I appreciate your honesty. You, Gaara, and Hyuuga's group are probably the only ones who don't talk your way around things or ignore them."

"Yeah, well we aren't exactly model Japanese citizens either." Kiba shot him a small smile which Naruto returned, easing the tension that had formed during the conversation.

Eager to talk about something else, Naruto looked over to Akamaru who was still at attention. "What do you feed that thing? I swear it got bigger since the last time I saw it."

Kiba watched Akamaru as well, tilting his head slightly to the left. "No... he's still the same size."

Akamaru had started following Kiba about a year ago one night when Kiba almost drowned in the river after stumbling in when walking home drunk. It had been a cold night and the shock of the cold water had made him inhale the water. Kiba wasn't sure of the specifics, but he was told Akamaru had pulled him out and brought someone to give him CPR. Afterwards, Akamaru kept following Kiba. Being obviously trained, Kiba had asked around, but not one person came forward to claim him. The dog also didn't eat dog food. In fact, Kiba had no clue what he ate. Akamaru would disappear occasionally and come back as if nothing happened. Since he didn't lose or gain weight, they both assumed he ate during the times he was missing.

"He still gives me the creeps," Naruto muttered under his breath. A strange sound that came from Akamaru had Naruto wiping his head around to look. Did Akamaru just laugh at him?

"You're overthinking. He just looks intimidating." Kiba assured, defending Akamaru as always.

"Bullshit."

Suddenly, Akamaru was growling at the door, bearing his large, sharp, pure white teeth, his tail raised and stiff, and body lowered and ready for an attack. The reaction was so unexpected, Naruto jumped out of his chair and backed away in fear, but he wasn't the target of the dog's malice. Uchiha walked through the door only a few seconds later.

Kiba's reaction was quite similar to Naruto's except it was to who had walked through the door. "What the hell?! What is he doing here?!"

Uchiha didn't pay the humans any mind, instead staring at the dog. His expression was hard to read. It was blank, but there was something else too. Not fear or annoyance. More like wariness. "I'm not here to hurt anyone," Uchiha said in a tone that resembled annoyance. While it seemed like he was talking to Kiba, his eyes were still on Akamaru.

"Bastard, I should kick your ass for what you did to us last night! You nearly gave me a heart attack!" Kiba was beginning to go on the offensive when Naruto pushed him back down on the bed.

"Calm down, I invited him. He just gave me a ride. He wanted to apologize."

Uchiha broke eye contact with the dog to look over at them with a raised eyebrow that left no translation to what he was thinking. _I_ _did?_

"As nice as this all is," Uchiha easily brushed off Naruto's assurances, "We need to go. I'm late for my job."

"Great, go ahead and leave then." Naruto was already sitting back down when the hair on the back of Naruto's neck began to rise.

"If you don't mind, Inuzuka-san, I would like to borrow Uzumaki-san. He promised to help me with my job earlier in exchange for a ride." It sounded polite, but there was something underneath it that sounded like a threat.

They were located towards the back of the hospital, and it was rather isolated. If Uchiha decided to cause havoc, no one would be able to come in time.

"He's right. Totally forgot." Naruto grinned goofily at his friend, punching his good shoulder. "Don't hit on the nurses too much. I know you have a thing for them."

There was still suspicion written over Kiba's face, but the last comment caused the teen to blush with embarrassment. You promised never to bring that up," he whispered harshly. "And that was two years ago."

"Ah, that's right. You're into the artificial girlfriend games now."

"Th-there is nothing wrong with a guy my age playing those games!"

Successful in distracting his friend, Naruto waved, backing out of the room, promising gifts with his next visit. Kiba was easy to distract thankfully. If it had been Gaara, there would have been no escape.

Sulking, Naruto followed behind Uchiha reluctantly, shoving his hands into his pocket with more force than necessary. He walked slowly to annoy Uchiha; however, he didn't expect Uchiha to take him by the elbow and force him to walk faster. Out of pure stubbornness, Naruto leaned back and tried to dig his heels, but he might as well have been on wheels by how easily Uchiha pulled him along. "Dammit, that hurts!" he complained. Uchiha didn't seem to care, so giving in, Naruto walked the pace Uchiha was setting. "What's the rush anyway?"

"As I said before, I am late for my job."

"I thought you were kidding." Naruto tried to feign disinterest, but he was quite surprised. "Why's a rich guy like you need a job?"

"Relieves the boredom," he replied dryly. Naruto wasn't sure if he was kidding or not but given what he knew about the guy so far, it was probably not a joke. "The studio is just down the block."

He released Naruto, allowing him to walk ahead as they exited the hospital. Since Naruto was leading, he did not see Uchiha looking up towards Kiba's hospital room, watching the raven, which had been perched in the tree across from the window, taking flight.


	5. Twilight

A man removed his gloves, examining the corpse on the examination table. The man was on the shorter end with wild red hair with chocolate brown eyes. He was handsome in a young sense. No matter how you looked at him, he appeared to be in his late teens, but his attractiveness was hidden under his sloppy appearance. His clothes were a tad too big for his frame, his lab coat was stained with splotches of blood.

The man on the examination table was a Japanese man with atypical features with his blond hair. He was well-muscled as well, toned with lean muscle. The body was littered in scars, some caused by knife wounds, other by what looked like to be claw marks. The most prominent injury that was clearly visible was a large hole in the center of the chest, but that wasn't what killed him.

"It took longer than I expected, but as you can see, I found him, as promised," the examiner said. His voice was low and had only a hint of an accent.

"Thank you, Sasori-sama. My master will be very pleased with your hard work." The young man who had spoken bowed. The young man couldn't be older than twenty. He was average with a type of face that wouldn't stand out in a crowd. He wasn't unpleasant to look at or handsome. Just average. The only thing that you could tell about him was that he was Asian. Sasori could not even tell if he was Chinese, Japanese, or Korean. The young man spoke all three languages flawlessly even knowing several dialects in each language. Sometimes he wore glasses. Sometimes he came in dressed as a host. Other times, he wore a school uniform. His appearance was constantly changing. All that was certain was that he worked for one person. "I am surprised you were able to find his body."

"There are few that I cannot find." Now that the body had been confirmed, Sasori zipped up the body bag.

"Speaking of finding people. I met his son. He's quite difficult to approach."

"Oh?" he said with rising interest. "Did you get his records?"

"Of course," the young man handed the folder over with both hands which Sasori accepted. "I also included the file of my master's plans for this body."

"Good work, Kabuto. I expect an updated report on where your master's new base is as well as the rest of the files."

"Yes, Sasori-sama. I am working on that as we speak." Kabuto produced a thick envelope from the inside of his suit. "Your money."

Sasori took the envelope, tossing the envelope onto the tray where the autopsy tools were laid out without checking inside.

"Sasori-sama, if I may, is it possible to receive two corpses for myself?"

Sasori, who had a perpetual scowl etched onto his face, glared at the young man. "You know the rules. One body to each immortal who has a permission token at a time. If you want a new body, I need evidence of its destruction and another permit from the council. It's bad enough I'm being robbed as it is."

"Robbed?" Kabuto asked. "Immortal bodies?"

"No, human," Sasori said, quietly seething with anger. "Walking into my morgue and touching my corpses." Sasori was just like his corpses. He didn't seem to emote well on the outside, always cold, whether filled with anger or happiness, and preferring the company of the dead to the living. Sasori disposed of the gloves he had removed in a medical waste bin.

"I see you are busy Sasori-sama. Excuse my intrusion." Kabuto picked up the body, tossing it over his shoulder when Sasori called out barely raising his voice.

"Don't let that master of yours kill you, Kabuto. You are only human."

Kabuto turned towards him. watching Sasori pull out another body from the refrigerator. As he unzipped the bag, light slipped into Sasori's curious eyes, his face softening as he contained a small smile. Sasori was already gone in his own world. "Yes, Sasori-sama."

"Alright, listen to me carefully because I'm only going to say this once. Don't speak, don't act stupid, don't touch anything, or it's my ass on the line which in turn will become your ass. Got it?"

"Or I could leave and save us both the trouble," Naruto rolled his eyes.

Uchiha glared and repeated himself again, "Did you get it, idiot," he said very slowly.

"Were you always such a bastard?"

"Were you always such a moron?"

Naruto clenched his jaw. Arguing with a supernatural, and probably ancient, being was not a good idea. While he understood that theoretically, he could not help but push back anyway. "Great comeback. And here I thought you had a better vocabulary than a five-year-old."

"If I used more difficult words, you wouldn't understand, so what's the point?" Uchiha retorted without missing a beat, leaving Naruto fuming.

"You weren't such a jerk in class," he grumbled.

"And I didn't know that you whined so much," Uchiha smirked at him which only made Naruto fume more. "Let's go inside already."

The building was a warehouse, two floors and very few windows, near the edge of the business district. The building was new with no other distinguishing features to set it apart. It only had a small sign on the side written in English letters, Twilight.

"Hey, isn't tha-"

"Coincidence. We're still working on the name change," Uchiha interrupted before Naruto could even get the question out.

That got a chuckle out of Naruto at Uchiha's obvious embarrassment over the name. In a slightly better mood after being dragged along, they both entered the building.

The inside was pure white, both walls and floors. There was a skylight, casting some light from above, but most of the light inside was from the giant floodlights in the corner facing a white backdrop that had only a black chair in the center.

"What exactly is your job?"

Uchiha only shot him a smug smirk in response.

"Sasu-kun! There you are!" There was a blur, followed by a wind. By the time Naruto blinked, there was a woman. She only came up to Uchiha's shoulder even with four-inch stiletto heels. Her skin was dark and her hair was in dreadlocks pulled back into a ponytail with a thick cloth band. She was thin and lean like a model, but the image was ruined by the way she was hanging on Uchiha's arm. "You are late. Soon, Deidara will be here. I have a cool outfit for you today." She had a very thick accent and her Japanese was very formal and stilted.

"You leaned Japanese?" Uchiha asked.

"Only for you," she batted her eyelashes at him. "Come. I have to get you dress."

"Of course, Lianna," said in that gentleman like way Uchiha had used in class. He even gave her a small smile. "Uzumaki, remember what I said."

"'Remember what I said,'" Naruto mocked in a high voice, sticking out his tongue at Uchiha like a child. The guy was such a jerk. Why did he even bring him there?

With nothing else to do, it did give Naruto a chance to look around. With the lights and cameras, Naruto was guessing it was some sort of fashion shoot. The thought made Naruto laugh. Figures the bastard would be a model. It explained so much about his personality. Putting that aside, there were a lot of foreigners running about. Even if the island was quite diverse for an island belonging to Japan, most of the foreigners were students or related to the school somehow, and they didn't look like tourists. There were only two Asian looking workers. One who stood by the door, brawny and in a tacky suit reminding Naruto of a yakuza member. The other was a chef, arranging food on a very small circular table in the corner.

Left alone, Naruto looked for a corner to hide himself in. He didn't like the feeling of being out of place, and as he stood there, being in everyone's way as they yelled at each other in a mixture of foreign languages around him, the feeling of isolation began to surround him. What was he doing here? Uchiha wasn't here to stop him from leaving.

He found himself by the buffet table, the only part of the large area that wasn't crowded. The buffet was a typical buffet, that was covered with foods popular with foreigners. Sushi was the main item. Expensive sushi too. Something Naruto could never afford on his small allowance. There was also gyoza, dango, onigiri, and small finger sandwiches. Naruto took a plate and piled on the sushi. If it turned out he had to pay, he'd blame it on Uchiha.

He was working on clearing his plate when the front doors slammed open, instantly quieting the room. It was a woman who entered. At least that’s what Naruto originally thought. On closer inspection, it was not a woman, but a man. He was extremely tall. Taller than Naruto with long blonde hair. His eyeliner was thick, working well with the fashionable designer clothes he wore, making him look like a model.

Without care, he dropped a bag into someone's hands not even looking to see who it was. He almost looked angelic...until he opened his mouth. "Why isn't everything ready! My model should have been ready ages ago," he yelled in Japanese. It wasn't the words itself that shocked Naruto, it was nearly flawless, but the speech he used was very rude.

"He's getting ready as we speak, Mister Deidara," someone said. Naruto couldn't quite pick out who had spoken as there were many attendants attending the man. The man clearly bristled, clicking his tongue with annoyance. Then their eyes met.

Naruto found himself flustered, trying to look away, but it was too late. The man started heading his direction.

Naruto fumbled with his plate, looking for a place to put it down or throw away, but there was no place to put it. He was unable to come to a solution by the time he had stopped in front of him, forcing Naruto to just hold it.

He just stared at him intently, not saying a word. Then he started circling him like a shark, muttering to himself. "Strong, lean, well proportioned," he murmured.

"Can I help you?" Naruto asked after clearing his throat.

The man stopped abruptly then grabbed his shoulders, yanking him forward to make him look him in the eyes.

"What's your name, kid?" he demanded.

His rudeness snapped Naruto out of his trance, and he pulled out of his grip which was stronger than he had expected. "It's rude to demand my name without offering yours first."

He looked taken back then he laughed. "Right, Japanese customs. My name is Deidara. I'm the main photographer of Twilight."

"Photographer? Not model?"

"I can see how you can make that mistake." Deidara roughly grabbed his jaw with one hand and pulled him close once more. His grip was painful, and Naruto thought his jaw might break. "However, if you confuse me for a model again, I'll kill you, got that?"

Naruto nodded to the best of his abilities. It was enough to satisfy the man, and he released him. "Great." He took a deep breath then his eyes widened to comic proportions. "You're human."

"Yeah, what else would I be? A vampire?" He meant to go for joking, and since vampires had been on his mind all day, it was the first thing that popped into his head.

Deidara had a mischievous smile aimed right at him. His sky-blue eyes glinted the same way Uchiha's did, with hunger and power.

"You did. You thought I was..." Naruto trailed off.

"You must be Sasuke's pet, though he didn't seem to tell you much." Deidara looked him over again, but this time with hunger in his eyes as if Naruto was a slab of Kobe beef. "This modeling agency is made up of vampires. Everyone here walks on the darker side of life. The food here is just for show in case some humans come through. So, you see, it’s a hell of a surprise."

Naruto took a step back, but there wasn't any place he could run. Now that Deidara had mentioned it, he could see the hidden looks of the staff watching him in the corner of their eyes with the same hungry look.

"Don't worry. No one will touch you. Not in this town anyway. More importantly," Deidara was once again in his personal space with a hungry smile. "Why won't you become a model for me? I normally don't take pictures of humans, but you're nearly perfect. I can’t let you just walk by me."

"Me?" his voice broke.

"Deidara, leave him alone. You know your mate won't be happy if you get too involved with humans."

Deidara took a step back from Naruto, crossing his arms in annoyance. Uchiha had reemerged and he was completely different than before he was dragged away. Rather than being perfectly groomed with an image of a clean-cut elite, he was dressed like a rock star. He wore tight leather pants that were too low on his hips with a studded belt and a tight leather black, sleeveless shirt that showed off a defined 6-pack underneath. He wore matching leather, fingerless gloves, and extensions that lengthened his hair to his shoulders. The chain he wore were silver, giving a bit of accent to the essentially all-black outfit.

Naruto found himself staring. Deidara was handsome, but Uchiha was...gorgeous? Appalled by his own thinking, Naruto looked away. He could feel his cheeks burning hot.

Deidara didn't appear to share his sentiment though. "Wrong! Lianne! What the fuck did you do to him! I said I wanted a delinquent. Does this look like a delinquent to you!"

Lianne, who had been standing behind Uchiha popped out with a slightly terrified expression. "Um...no?"

"Useless," he grumbled. Naruto was considering looking for an escape when he was grabbed by the collar and yanked in front of Deidara. "Take a look at him. This is what a delinquent is supposed to look like. Rough, but tasteful. This kid looks like he could beat you into the pavement then proceed to walk the runway."

Enough was enough. Being manhandled all day was really grating on his nerves. "I have a name, you know!" He swatted Deidara’s hand away, forcing him to let go. "It's Uzumaki, Naruto."

"And the attitude is absolutely perfect," Deidara praised. "Take notes, Sasuke. Naruto's attitude is just what I'm looking for."

All the attention was making Naruto uncomfortable, and he could feel everyone nearby was watching the exchange. The gaze that held the most weight was Uchiha's. His gaze was just as intense as always. "I'm sure it won't be too hard to mimic a moron."

"You can go screw yourself, bastard," Naruto growled.

Uchiha turned, following Lianne back to the changing area as he said, "I have people to do that for me." He tossed a smug smirk over his shoulder and added, "Do you?"

Flustered and completely at a loss what to say, all he could think to say was, "Who told?!" but that would only confirm what Uchiha had said.

Deidara watched Naruto with a mildly surprised look on his face.

"What?" he asked impatiently. Seriously, he was starting to feel like a sideshow with all the staring, and Deidara was looking at him with curiosity.

"How long have you known Sasuke?"

"Um, a couple hours I guess."

"I see," his eyes were laughing at some joke Naruto wasn't aware of, but Naruto wasn't about to ask. The air seemed tense around the attendants surrounding Deidara, like they were servants walking on eggshells around their master. The only one who acted normal was Uchiha. Naruto’s knowledge on vampires was limited, but there was something about Deidara that just seemed old. It was different than the aura Uchiha emitted. Uchiha had an aura that was suppressing, which made one feel the weight of his power the same way one would flex their muscles to show off their strength. Uchiha demanded respect just from the way he looked at people. He was like a knight, brandishing his sword to make people understand he was not one to be messed with.

Deidara seemed beyond that. His aura was subtler, like a wind's whisper. It was the little things. The way he stood with authority. The way he addressed people. The way he looked at them. He was more like a monarch who didn't have to show off his power because everyone knew he had it. Just how old was he?

"Alright! I expect everything to be ready in five minutes. Any longer and I'll give you to my husband as his new toy."

Naruto thought they were moving fast before, but the speed nearly doubled, some becoming a blur to his eyes.

"When you become one of us, look me up, kid. I'll make you one of my models in a heartbeat." With a wink, he departed with another assistant rushing to accompany him.

The shoot wasn't too bad. It took about three hours, and it went by rather quickly. Since Naruto was one of the only three humans in the building, he was the only one really eating the food at the small buffet. The chef was pleasantly surprised someone was actually eating his food. The chef was timid and soft-spoken, and obviously unaware who he was working for, confused as to why they never touched his food. The chef had been a bit wary of him due to his appearance but brightened up the moment he realized Naruto was actually Japanese and could speak his native tongue.

After talking for a while, Naruto found out he was just an apprentice chef and that he was a student at his school as well from class 3-B which explained why he never saw the chef before. The chef however had heard of him and was shocked when Naruto finally introduced himself. Just like the others, he shrank away once he heard the name, finding an excuse to leave. Ignoring the pain, he continued smiling brightly at the chef, telling him to take care.

He should have lied about his name. Once he knew that the chef had been a native of the island, he should have just made something up.

"Do you normally look so depressed when no one's looking?"

Naruto had not even realized his smile had dropped when the chef had left. He thought he had done a better job hiding his feelings. "What? You going to mock me or something?"

"Everyone has problems they don't want to share."

Naruto looked up. Uchiha had changed back into his uniform, so the shoot must have ended while he was still lost in his thoughts. Still, Uchiha's words put him at ease. "Thanks."

"I'll take you home."

"It's the least you can do for kidnapping me, bastard."

"If I recall, you got into my car on your own free will."

They were already into a rhythm of banter. It was a seamless transition, lifting him from his despair into annoyance, but it was also kind of fun. Gaara was the silent type, and he never argued with Kiba. Hyuuga argued with him, but they were intentionally trying to hurt each other. Knowing what Uchiha was, he would forget for just a moment and focus just on their banter. "Like you would have really given me a choice."

Uchiha smirked at him not bothering to deny it when Tobi came running up with a cell phone in his hand. “Um, young master, you have a phone call."

"Tell them I'll call them back tomorrow. I'm not in the mood."

Uchiha had his back towards Tobi, so he hadn't seen the way the butler trembled or how fearful his eyes were. "Sir...It's Itachi-sama."

"Ita...chi-san?" Naruto repeated slowly, not recognizing the name. "Who's Itachi-san?"

He turned to Uchiha expecting an answer. He had been forthcoming with all his questions so far, so he didn't think it was too much of a stretch to ask, but the question got lost in his throat. Uchiha looked murderous. "Hand it over." His voice froze the blood in Naruto's veins, and he wasn't the one it was aimed at.

Tobi gave him the phone, immediately backing away. Naruto went to Tobi's side, taking the butler's retreat as a sign he should too.

"What?" Uchiha asked in a sharp tone. He didn't raise his voice, but it had the same impact as if he had.

There was silence for a good five seconds. The tension that built in that short time made it feel much longer. Uchiha's face didn't react to whatever was being said on the other side. The sound of creaking was the only warning before the phone was crushed in his hand with little effort all, snapping in half.

"Hey, are you alright? Who's Itachi-san?" He had only meant to help, to repay Uchiha for bringing him out of his negative thoughts earlier.

Instead, he received a glare. "Keep your nose out of my business."

Naruto tried to glare back; it's effectiveness nowhere near Uchiha's level. "I was just trying to help, bastard. No need to bite my head off for it."

"Tobi, get him out of here. I won't be responsible if I end up killing him."

The flat-out dismissal made Naruto feel he had been cast aside the moment Uchiha was done with him, and surprisingly, it hurt more than it should of. For a moment, he thought perhaps Uchiha wasn't that bad.

"Come on, Naruto-kun. I'll drive you home." Tobi pulled at his arm, urging him to follow.

"You know what, I don't care. I hope you and your undead soul burn in the afterlife."

There was a stir from Naruto's undead comment, and Naruto barely noticed as he stormed out. Perhaps if he was focusing, Uchiha might have been offended by the comment. His kind tended to become short-tempered with the word undead was used. The comment was nothing compared to the haunting message that was left to him over the phone. The soft, dead voice that had spoken still echoed in his head. He had thought he had been paranoid at the hospital, that the raven was just a coincidence, but it had belonged to him after all. Itachi.

The message:

_Welcome home, Sasuke._

* * *

Naruto remained furious the entire ride home. He understood that it was stupid. They weren't friends. They weren't even acquaintances. To hold a grudge against something so petty was a waste of energy and time. He never was one to always adhere to logic though, so he let it stew for the hour, staring out at the passing scenery.

They returned to the main town, just after sunset. There wasn't much housing in the town. Many of the native families who lived on the island had estates. Very few families actually lived in town. Out of everyone in school, only he and Kiba didn't live in the extravagant dorms or go home to a mansion. Everyone who did live in town made an honest and decent living. There was little to no crime and tourists never left the area on the other side of the island.

The town's only bar sat on the corner of the wharf, a popular place for weary fishermen and shop owners after a long day. It was still early so there wouldn't be many people there yet. "Hey, Tobi-san, could you let me out here."

The limo rolled to a stop just outside the bar. "Are you sure, Naruto-kun?" Tobi looked out the side window with skepticism. "The streets are a bit dark around here and all I see worth noting is a bar."

"I'll be fine, this is my hometown after all." Naruto was already getting out. "Thanks for everything, Tobi-san."

"Please, Tobi is fine. I am sorry for my master's behavior."

"It's not your fault. See you around, Tobi." He sent the driver off with a smile to ease Tobi's worry. He was a good man. Too good to be working for such a jerk.

He kept waving until the car was out of sight, and his smile fell being replaced with melancholy. Just a couple of drinks. The bar owner was nice enough to give him drinks at a discounted price despite his age. As long as he stopped by to clean up his bar in the morning for free, the owner didn't care. It wasn't out of pity, the owner just liked the free labor. Being in such a small time wasn't profitable even if he had no competition.

Naruto was looking forward to a few drinks. Jiraiya was gone on a trip promoting his new book. Kiba was in the hospital, and since it was Friday, Gaara would be unavailable, and Krista would kill him for ditching today. His birthday would come to an end in a few hours. If he had to thank Uchiha for one thing, it was for distracting him for most of the day. Now he could just drown out the rest of it with alcohol.

Some grabbed onto his arm, stopping him in his tracks. Naruto sighed, groaning on the inside at his luck. Why today of all days?

"Hey buddy, my friends and I saw you get out of that nice car just a moment ago. We were wondering if you would share some of that cash with the less fortunate." The smell of alcohol-laced the man's breath, causing Naruto to turn his head. There were three men altogether who had stopped him. Naruto had never seen any of them before, and, by the way they were dressed, they were probably big city delinquents. It was a first, seeing them here. Their leader looked to be in his mid-thirties, unshaven with thick sideburns that were way out of style. He was the one who had grabbed him. They probably thought people from a small town wouldn't put up much of a fight.

"Sorry, but it wasn't my car. Try asking someone else." Naruto tried to take the high road and walk away, but the boss of the three delinquents didn't get that, tightening his grip on Naruto's arm.

"We aren't stupid, kid. We ain't asking; we're telling. Hand over the cash." The two men pulled out knives, and the one holding Naruto pulled out a gun.

A gun? It was the first time Naruto had ever laid eyes on one, but where did such low-lives get them from. Were they yakuza?

"Look, he's trembling," the man laughed, holding the gun to Naruto's head. "If you know what's good for yah, hand over the cash, and we'll let you go home without a scratch."

It started as a chuckle that grew in volume, blossoming into a laugh. The delinquents looked at each other with uncertainty, wondering if they had just held up someone mentally unstable. "What's your name?" Naruto asked through his fit of laughter.

"Kuro. What's it to ya?

"You caught me in an awfully bad mood today, Kuro-san. Don't take this personally; just talk it up to bad luck for running into me today." Naruto jabbed the man in the solar plexus with his elbow while simultaneously grabbing the gun at his head and twisting it out of the man's hold until it dropped into his free hand. Both of Kuro's friends charged, knives drawn. Kuro dodged the first one and pulled Kuro into the path of the second henchman, making the second man hesitate else risk stabbing his leader. Pulling the trigger, he shot at the second henchman's foot, the shot connecting. The second henchman screamed in pain, dropping to the ground to nurse his wounded foot.

Naruto rounded on his left foot, kicking the stomach of the first henchman with his right, then jumping to kick with his left, when the first henchman curled in. The second kick made contact with the man's face, sending the man to the ground.

Naruto's assault didn't end there. Sidestepping the punch aimed at his head from behind, courtesy of Kuro-san, Naruto grabbed the arm and threw Kuro over his shoulder onto the ground. Kuro flew into an alley, rolling into a stack of trash bags and recyclables. "Since you guys had a gun, I expected more than that," Naruto sighed with disappointment. "Really, I was hoping for a challenge."

"Who the hell are you?" Kuro asked, rolling onto his stomach.

"Name's Uzumaki, Naruto. You should take your friend to the clinic." Naruto waved the revolver still in his hand. "I'll get rid of this thing for you."

That was supposed to be the end. He wasn't cruel enough to pick on someone while they were down. He would get rid of the gun before the police found out about it and move on. He wasn't supposed to give them a second thought.

"I've heard of that name. You're that monster kid, right? The one who killed his father?"

Naruto's feet were glued into place.

"We've only been here for a couple days, but the first thing we heard was not to mess with you. I'll be honest; I thought you'd be scarier."

Naruto's hand tightened around the gun.

"I heard you killed your old man. In fact, I heard your old man was quite a murderer too. Like father, like son, right? You monst-" Kuro's air was cut off by a hand wrapped around his throat. With Naruto's strength, Kuro was pulled out of the trash and onto his feet. Kuro clawed at the hand, digging into Naruto's flesh, eyes wide with fear because Naruto no longer looked human.

His pupils, no longer blue, had turned red. His nails had grown in length and sharpness, resembling claws more than human nails, and he showed off his sharp canines with his sadistic grin that darkened his features. " **If you admire him so much, why don't you say hi to him in hell**." His voice was not his own. It was deeper, smoother, with a hint of dark laughter lacing his tone.

"P-p-please, for..give..me," Kuro could only choke out a plea, and Naruto found pleasure at that. So weak. Humans were so weak. With a smooth motion, Naruto slammed his head into the cement wall of the building so hard the cement wall gave as well as Kuro's skull. Indeed, humans were as fragile as rice paper. Naruto dropped the body, a puddle of blood quickly forming around the head.

The threat was gone, yet the features remained. This feeling. It was familiar. Every time he lost his temper, every time he was angry or drowning in sorrow, this feeling would take over as if someone else was holding the reigns. He took a deep breath and the smell of iron filled his nostrils. His mouth twitched in anticipation. He waited so long for this. For fresh blood. He got onto his knees and bent over, ready to take his first drink. His lips were less than two centimeters away when he realized what he was doing.

Scared, he jerked away, falling onto his butt and scurried away until he slammed himself against the opposite wall, the inhuman features receding. What had he done? Kuro wasn't moving, and there was too much blood. He couldn't have. He didn't mean to. His stomach knotted and churned, and his breath was heavy and forced. What did he do?

**You killed him, kit.**

Naruto shook his head. His body felt numb. _No, I-I-I didn't do this. It was you. I'm not a killer._

**Yes, you are because I am in you. Admit it. You wanted revenge for the comment about your father.**

_N_ o. Kuro's eyes were still staring at him, unblinking, filled with fear. _It wasn't me._ He was dead. Kuro would never be able to go home or see his family. _I d-didn't...he forced me to..._

He had killed him.

_No...No..._

"No!" Naruto jumped to his feet and ran from the ally, running as fast as his legs could carry him, leaving the body behind.


	6. Chapter 6

Naruto ran. Naruto ran as fast and far as his legs would carry him. Out of town and into the mountain forest. It was cold and dark, the lights from town no longer able to reach past the trees. In his haste, he stumbled and fell over the rocks, tree roots, and dips he couldn’t see, but he pressed forward, clawing into the dirt to push himself up, his hands getting cut up and bloodied every time he used them to break his fall.

He had to get away.

That alluring and sweet scent still called out to him. It was a pull that grabbed hold of his body and urged him to return. When he almost gave into the temptation, Kuro’s lifeless eyes would pop into his mind, plunging him in cold reality. He had just killed a man.

But he was still human.

The energy drained from him, but he kept running. He ran until he came to a slow shuffle, unable to run anymore. He was far away from town, from his crime, yet it still did not feel far away enough. But where could he go? The police would probably suspect him immediately. He had dropped the gun at some point. His fingerprints would be on it. He would be found guilty with a life sentence, or worse, the death penalty.

So, he would have to run, but there was nowhere he could go. His house was out. So was his friends’. And then there was Uchiha’s place.

He nearly laughed at the thought. Uchiha wouldn’t just let him hide out there. Uchiha didn’t even know him or even like him. There was no way he’d lend a hand.

Naruto kept walking aimlessly up the mountain. His mind was numb. He couldn’t think, didn’t want to think.

Naruto was so oblivious to his surroundings, he did not realize when it began to rain, only that he was drenched from head to toe some hours later. He would catch a cold like this, he thought offhandedly. He couldn’t bring himself to care about his well-being. Was this shock, he wondered. He couldn’t feel anything. He came to a stop.

He had stumbled onto an abandoned Shinto shrine. It was a simple structure that had partially been overtaken by the forest. A tree had grown through a hole in the floorboards and the sliding door was broken and off its track. It must have been one of the first shrines on the island before the main ones were built.

He walked up the stairs, the wood crying under his weight with each step, and stopped at the entrance, bowing his head. “Excuse my intrusion,” he murmured before climbing inside. If gods did exist, there probably wasn’t one housed here anymore. If there was, surely, he or she would forgive him for spending the night. It was tight with the tree taking up quite a bit of space, but the roof was mostly intact, providing shelter for the night. He sat down, staring into the darkness outside, and leaned against the tree trunk.

He chuckled to himself. It seemed appropriate. To be forgotten in some abandoned shrine for a forgotten god. He chuckled until he felt tears streaming down his face, his chuckles turning into quiet sobs, drowned out by the sound of rain.

* * *

Missing a day of school wasn’t a big deal. He had been through the school system a couple of times, so missing one day wasn’t much of a concern for him academically. A second day would have been a stretch as it may draw unwanted attention, but Sasuke had to take precautions. He couldn’t be too careful when dealing with Itachi.

Tobi drove him to the gate and Sasuke got out, adjusting his tie. He eyed a couple of girls gossiping as they passed him, blushing while tilting their heads in a morning greeting when they were caught. He returned with a flirty smile.

Just as another set of girls passed, a boy appeared, leaning against the perimeter wall of the school. He had red hair and green eyes and, he was watching him. The moment their eyes met, there was a subtle tilt of the head towards the roof. He then casually pushed himself off the wall, walking the path towards the school. Seemed like Sasuke was going to miss homeroom today as well.

Sasuke went to the roof at the slow human pace. It was cumbersome to pretend to be human at times, but today he went at the slow pace purposely, knowing that the other would be kept waiting.

Sure enough, by the time he had reached the rooftop, Gaara was there, leaning over the railing and looking down at the last of the students rushing in as the warning bell rang.

“You left early your first day.”

“I didn’t know I needed your permission,” Sasuke stopped beside Gaara, looking down on the humans running about as well. The PE teacher was waiting at the gate, checking his watch and counting down until he would close the front gate for the school day. “I assume you want to claim your territory.”

“Don’t lump me with your kind.” Gaara turned his head so that he could meet Sasuke’s eyes. “What are your plans with Uzumaki?”

“Why? Do you have claim to him?”

Gaara didn’t answer nor did his gaze waver. He looked straight on, apparently none too patient for games.

Dropping the polite smile, Sasuke’s face turned serious as well. “If you claim non-involvement, then unless you have a hand in my business, it is not your place to intervene nor do you have a right to know.”

Gaara’s eyes for a brief moment flashed a dark, golden-brown before returning to its usual emerald green. Anger rolled underneath the surface as well as the threat for violence. With a very precise restraint, the aura of his anger was the only manifestation of his volatility and gave the message that if Gaara did not want to, this anger could manifest in other ways that would cause both of them difficulties in the future.

For one so young, Gaara had a handle on his abilities even if it was a hairline away from slipping through his fingers. “Uzumaki is my friend,” he said, his tone not giving away his volatile nature. “His safety concerns me.”

“Is that all?” When Gaara didn’t say anything, he answered. “All that you need to know,” Sasuke said slowly and clearly so he would never have to repeat himself. “Is that I will take responsibility. As long as he is not a detriment to me, he will live a normal life until they begin to notice the changes and he has to leave, and from what I see so far, he has no reason to stay.” Sasuke leaned forward just slightly to be intimidating. “Why is that by the way?”

Gaara looked away first, returning to his original position of looking over the railing. “Non-involvement, remember?”

“Of course.” The final bell rang, signaling the beginning of classes. “Missing class won’t look good for me. I have an image to keep after all.” Sasuke straightened his tie. “Just a piece of advice. Whatever you are, it would be easier to give in to the temptation than to resist.”

Gaara didn’t comment, and Sasuke didn’t wait for it. “Until we talk again, Gaara-san. If you would excuse me.”

Sasuke opened the roof door, shut it behind him, and stopped after two or three steps. “Did you want to add anything?”

Standing just to the side of the door, Inuzuka was pressed against the wall. His arm was in a sling, and his face was discolored from healing bruises and cuts from his fall. Sasuke had sensed him following since the beginning, but unlike Uzumaki, he had no reason to hide the truth from him. There was a greater benefit in Inuzuka knowing than not, no matter how the teenager reacted to the news.

Inuzuka didn’t, or couldn’t, say anything. Just staring out into space in thought.

Whether he decided to panic or find it to be entertaining, held little meaning to Sasuke though. In the end, he did not plan to stay long, and Inuzuka posed little threat to him. Sasuke continued down the stairs, planning to make it to class before their tardy, homeroom teacher decided to take attendance.

* * *

Uzumaki did not come to school that day. Or the next. From what Sasuke had gathered from overhearing the gossip in the class, it was abnormal for him to miss so many consecutive days of school. Apparently, if Gaara was at school, Naruto was almost always there as well. They acted as each other’s restraint.

Judging by Gaara’s increasing foul mood, he did not know where Uzumaki was, neither did Inuzuka. Inuzuka had come up to Sasuke after school the previous day to ask Sasuke if he knew where Naruto was.

Denying knowing Naruto’s whereabouts, Inuzuka’s shoulders slumped, and his face twisted with worry as well as suspicion towards him.

Admittedly, Sasuke was beginning to wonder where his troublesome charge had run off to. Naruto didn’t seem the type to run away from his problems, but the thought of maybe it was due to the argument at the studio had crossed Sasuke’s mind.

The final bell rang, and the sound of students preparing to leave filled the classroom, causing the teacher to raise his voice to be heard. “One last thing before you all leave. Will anyone volunteer to take Uzumaki-kun his homework?” The teacher was already eying Gaara and Inuzuka, but before either of them could raise their hand, Sasuke beat them to it. “I’ll do it.”

The teacher ─ whose name Sasuke could not recall─ visibly lost his enthusiasm. “As kind as that is, Uchiha-kun, Gaara-kun and Inuzuka-kun are quite close. Uzumaki-kun may feel more comfortable with someone he knows since he may not be feeling very well.”

“If it is no trouble, I would like to volunteer. I would like to thank Uzumaki-san for showing me around the island. It is the least I could do.”

The teacher looked troubled, looking to Gaara for silent help. Gaara didn’t meet his eyes, staring out the window and ignoring the conversation as he had most of the day while Inuzuka had already packed his bag and was anxious to leave.

Without any other option and forced to comply, he reluctantly walked over and handed over a small stack of papers. “Very well. Thank you for being so considerate for your classmate.”

“I am glad I can help.” Sasuke took the papers. As the teacher began to go back to the desk, he asked. “One thing sensei, I did not receive a class registry when I received my new student packet.” The teacher’s back tensed, much to Sasuke’s amusement. “May I get a copy?”

“Uh, yes, that would seem strange, wouldn’t it? Since most of the student body lives in the dormitory, there has not been much need for it.”

“Yes, I understand that, but from what I understand, most of the students in this class commute. A student registry for this class alone would suffice, wouldn’t it?”

“As you said, most students in the class grew up in this town and know where everyone lives. It is a rather small island, so I’m sure you’ll remember soon enough.”

“It will be difficult to find Uzumaki’s home without an address,” Uchiha countered.

The teacher’s expression turned stern. “You are being quite rude, Uchiha-kun.”

“Forgive me, Sensei, I apologize,” but he sounded anything but apologetic, his smile turning into a smug smirk. “I’ve been out of the country most of my life. I forget the nuances of Japanese speech. Please just think of me as a foreigner until I grow accustomed to Japanese society again.”

“I see.” The teacher crossed his arms with thinned lips. “Then you would not mind staying behind to write the class notes before you leave, would you?”

“No problem.”

The teacher walked away. It didn’t miss Sasuke’s notice that the teacher had gotten out of telling him any information. It wasn’t like he needed Uzumaki’s address. He had been to his house once before, but it would have looked suspicious if he hadn’t asked.

The class notebook was handed to him, and Sasuke stared at it unsure what he was supposed to do with it.

If he was honest, he hated Japan. The education system was convoluted and biased, focusing on memorization rather than understanding, brown-nosing enhanced your grade, and the competition was destructive. The classes were not engaging, leaving the students to just listen for hours of teachers droning on and on.

Teachers also held too much power over the students. Students could not argue or debate with the teacher. Questions had to be held until the end of the lesson, and participation was not even a thing. Sasuke couldn’t blame several students falling asleep during the lesson. The teachers did not seem to care. All that mattered was that you couldn’t appear rude, else it would “reflect badly upon your character”.

Outside the education system, the high context society was something Sasuke was having difficulties adjusting to. It was rude to say no to anything. You had to imply if you did not want something. Imply when you did want something. You could not ask for anything directly. It was tiring, and Sasuke was at a loss at how people did not get confused with the roundabout way of talking.

Sasuke had arrived in Japan about a month ago, spending most of his time in Kyoto. People were kind enough to him until his Western way of talking turned them off. He appeared rude and callous to others. In that respect─ with the respectively large diversity rate here─ his behavior and speech were not frowned upon as much here. No, his family name carried the most weight here.

Uzumaki was refreshing. Uzumaki lacked discretion, saying what was on his mind, so that no one misconstrued his words, and they understood his intentions. He still had that Japanese thinking, making sure no one worried about him, trying to blend in─ although he failed due to his appearance─ and thinking of the collective rather than the individual.

He had been watching Uzumaki during the entire photoshoot; he had to due to the company around them. After the incident on the roof, he was curious to see if anything else peculiar would happen. What he found was a rather awkward teen trying to make a friend even putting on his best behavior.

He scoffed. Perhaps he had been removed from humans for too long. The need for acceptance was something he had not craved since he was a child. His younger years were a blur that he tried to forget. Humanity has been and always will be a detriment to the Earth and the creatures on it.

Sasuke opened the notebook before it was swiped away by Gaara. “I believe you have a more important job to do.”

Leaning back in his seat, he assessed Gaara. “It would be irresponsible of me to delegate my duties after our sensei asked so nicely.”

“Do you even know what to do?” At Sasuke’s silence, Gaara continued, lowering his voice so only Sasuke could hear. “Find Uzumaki. That should be your one and only priority.”

“Is that how you talk to your elders?” Sasuke dropped his voice low too, leaning forward. The politeness in his voice, gone. “I would advise that you remember who you are talking too.”

“If harm comes to him,” Gaara went on, not intimidated in the slightest. “I will hold you responsible. I may be young, but it doesn’t mean I can’t kill you.”

On the cuff of Gaara’s blazer, there was a speckle of blood that was faded from being the wash, but there was no denying it for what it was. “I am sure you will try, but you will find that I will not be so easy to kill as others.”

There were still students in the class, lingering and chatting with one another, yet Sasuke could still feel eyes on him though he was unable to pinpoint whom it belonged to. “Thank you for your help, Gaara-san. I will be counting on your hard work.”

* * *

Without a car, Sasuke was forced to go into town the old-fashioned way. While Tobi’s absence was a hindrance in keeping a low profile, Tobi’s work was more important at this time.

The sun was fully out with little cover, adding to the difficulty it would take to be unnoticed. Running down the mountain, following the road by jumping down to the next level would cut his journey in half. Unable to take this path, forced Sasuke to enter the forest behind the school. After a kilometer past the school property line, the area changed, revealing, an 80-degree slope.

Peering over the edge, he quickly surveyed the area. It wasn’t a straight path to the bottom. Tall grasses covered the side of the mountain. There were some ledges, barely a meter wide were bamboo and small trees grew. The more resilient trees managed to grow on the slope, adding to the obstacles. Sasuke could not view the bottom, having enough foliage to block his view.

At the very least, there would be no witnesses.

Placing his hands into his pockets, he bent his legs. His approximate target was 15 meters down and approximately 2.6 meters out if his math was correct. With a lightness that was not humanly possible, Sasuke jumped off the ledge. His body sailed through the air, two and a half meters out before he began his descent. The air whipped around him. ruffling his hair and clothes.

With a single foot, he landed on a stalk of bamboo, that bent under his weight. With the second that the long bamboo took to bend and reach its max elastic yield strength, Sasuke had located his next target and jumped just as precisely and graceful as before.

He repeated this process multiple times, his foot not resting on a single point longer than a fraction of a second before his next leap. If anyone was watching, they might have mistaken him for flying. It wasn’t even a minute before he had reached the bottom of the mountain.

He had landed on the roof of one of the buildings in town that had its back against the slope he had just come down. Most of the buildings in the area were shops as most of the residents seemed to live in residential compounds around the island. There was only a small portion of the town that contained average housing. Naruto’s house was located in that area.

Jumping down, Sasuke walked the rest of the way at a leisurely pace. Besides returning Naruto to his home, he had spent no time within the town. The streets were narrow and clean, very different from what he was used to. The town was a hodgepodge of traditional Japanese architecture and modern Western influences, no doubt from the increase of foreigners at some point.

If Sasuke looked closely, he could almost see how the city developed, more traditional in the center than the outer rim with a gradual transition in between. Of course, there were newer buildings in the traditional architecture section and vice versa, but if one closed their eyes, they could picture what the original town had looked like.

He stayed in the shadows, avoiding attention from the townspeople. It was better to walk, than run and possibly draw attention to himself, but being a non-familiar face would occasionally draw the eye.

Naruto’s home was a two-story home, surrounded by a hedge wall and an iron gate. The yard was filled with medium-sized trees and bushes with an outdoor clothes drying rack─ several of the clothes being Naruto’s uniforms─ a few steps away from the sliding front door. A stone path led from the door to the gate, making the entrance very warm and welcoming. The building itself had several years on it, but obviously well cared for by its occupants.

The roof came into focus first, the rest of the house blocked by a two-meter perimeter wall around another property. However, as he rounded the corner, the sight of a police car and two officers leaving the vehicle made him come to a stop.

So something happened to the twerp after all.

Snorting, he closed his eyes, listening to his surroundings. He didn’t hear anyone nearby other than the officers.

He walked into the nearest alley, located next to Naruto’s home. Once out of the direct line of sight, he jumped, backflipping perfectly and landing on his hands to cushion his fall and immediately bring himself into a lying down position. His muscle control during the maneuver would make the best gymnast and acrobat green with envy.

Listening to the approach of the two officers, neither had hesitation in their step nor did they appear aware of his presence.

The officers came to a stop on the front step and knocked. Sasuke could hear someone moving around inside. The footsteps were heavy but quick. The door opened with more force than necessary only for the man who opened it to give a weary sigh of disappointment.

“I take it you haven’t found him?”

“I apologize, Jiraiya-sensei, but it takes time. We went to his usual hangouts and questioned his friends, but we were unable to come up with anything,” the first officer on the right said. Though his tone was placating, his facial expression betrayed his thoughts. The officer didn’t seem to care.

“Then I would recommend trying harder,” Jiraiya responded in a hard tone that could cut steel. “Isn’t that what we pay taxes for?”

“Jiraiya-sensei, could it be possible that Uzumakid-san is just getting into his usual trouble? He is a little…”

“Naruto would never leave without notifying me. Even if he’s about to get into trouble, he calls. He hasn’t been home in three days. Something’s wrong.” His voice grew soft with worry. “Find him. If you value your jobs, find him.”

“Y-yes, sir. We’ll keep looking. If you remember anything that may help, please contact us.” The second officer responded. The two officers bowed their heads to him before taking their leave.

Jiraiya banged his fist against the door frame, causing it to rattle.

So Naruto’s guardian really cared for him. Sasuke could not say the same for the officers. His hearing could pick up the last of their whispers before they were out of range. “Why do we have to search for that brat? It’s about time he disappeared.”

“Not like anyone would miss him. Society is better off without a monster like him,” the other officer agreed.

“It’s attitudes like that that taint the reputation of police officers.” The third voice was new. A second police car had pulled up behind the first, and its driver had just appeared from behind the hedge fence and threw the gate.

“Captain!” They yelled in unison, standing at attention and their hands flying up to salute.

“I’ll deal with both of you later. Head back to the station.”

“Yes, sir.” Both officers hurried to their vehicle to follow their orders.

The captain sighed, rubbing the back of his head. “I don’t know what to do with those young ones.” He gave a long drawn out sigh of an older man reminiscing. “It is nice to be young though.”

“Asuma? I wasn’t expecting you.”

Sasuke still could not see Jiraiya from his position, but there was a lightness in his voice that sounded like he was reacquainting himself with an old friend.

Asuma looked at Jiraiya with a mixture of fondness and sadness. “Jiraiya-kun. It’s been a while.”

“Ah, do you want to come in? I think I still have some snacks and tea left.”

“No…it’s not that kind of visit this time.”

Jiraiya’s breathing stopped. “He’s not dead, is he?”

“We don’t know; however, I’d like you to come with me. I rather talk somewhere more comfortable.” Asuma jerked his thumb back to indicate the noisy neighbors that were standing by outside the gate.

There was a beat of silence before Jiraiya replied, “I understand.”

After some rummaging inside, Jiraiya emerged, following the captain to his car.

Sasuke waited until the car had left before sitting up. Two days ago, Uzumaki had been with him at the studio. From what they had said, that meant Uzumaki had never made it home that night. Itachi’s call shoved its way to the forefront of his thoughts. Perhaps this was why he called that night.

Quickly, he dialed in Tobi’s number. The phone had only rung twice before a cheerful voice greeted him on the other end. “What can I do for you, young master?

“Tobi, I gave the order to return Uzumaki to his home, didn’t I?”

There was shifting on the other side of the phone. Sasuke could imagine his butler’s nervous fidgeting, a sign that he had not done his task to the letter.

“Where did you leave him, Tobi?”

“I beg forgiveness, young master,” the butler nearly yelled into the phone. He was probably bowing with the phone too. “Naruto-kun had asked me to drop him off at the edge of town near the harbor. I figured he was meeting up with friends or going to the bar.”

“Idiot. Uzumaki isn’t old enough to drink. What type of adult are you?”

“…EEEEEEEEHHHHH!!” Sasuke had to pull the phone away from his ear. “I thought the drinking age was 16!”

“That was when we were in Europe.” Was the deadpanned reply.

“I’m so sorry. I’m so, so sorry!”

The urge to roll his eyes at the butler’s excessive apologies. It was a wonder how Tobi didn’t lose his head. He was always a bit scatterbrained, forgetting things here and there. If it wasn’t for his set of skills that were crucial to Sasuke’s goal, he’d have let him go years ago.

“Never mind the apologies. Give me the exact location.”

It didn’t take long to find. It turned out there was only one bar in town─ though not the only place to buy alcohol. The sun was beginning to sink as evening approached, but it was still bright enough where the streetlamps hadn’t switched on. It was a weird place to put a bar. It was far from the center of town or even near the main markets. Sasuke could only guess that it held some cultural significance to the occupants.

Within seconds of getting there, he had already gained his first clue. It was faint but mixed in with the salty breeze was the scent of blood. It was a sickening mix, that burned his nostrils and there was a lot of it. Following the sent led him to an alleyway. It was marked off by police tape, but no one was around.

Ducking under the tape, Sasuke scanned the area. There was a chalk outline of a body as well as a red stain embedded in the road. Kneeling beside the stain, he ran his fingers across the asphalt. It was small, but there was a trace of Uzumaki’s blood in the area. It was hard to tell with the overwhelming stench, but Uzumaki’s blood had a unique scent. He would have been able to tell anywhere even over the nauseous scent of dead man’s blood.

Well, this could cause him some trouble, but he had an idea now of what had probably happened. Now he just had to track the idiot down.

* * *

Jiraiya was an elderly man, near his late fifties. Despite his age, he wasn’t like other men his age. He still had muscle for one, with just enough mass to call him more on the brawny than the lean side. He was also tall, pushing 195 centimeters, giving him a rather intimidating look despite his age. Though his wrinkles were beginning to deepen, he looked young. Not as young as Tsunade, but enough to call him in his mid-forties than nearing his sixties. It was hard to guess that he was an award-winning author.

Despite the nearly 14 years age difference, Asuma and Jiraiya had been close friends. Asuma could recall his five-year-old self, chasing after his Jiraiya-nii-chan trying to copy everything that the older boy did until Jiraiya-nii-chan turned into Jiraiya-kun in high school.

It was hard to remember why Asuma had taken a liking to the college student when he was young. Jiraiya had a playful and easy-going personality but was also disciplined and strong. Even now, he admired Jiraiya’s strength. It was because of Jiraiya that he had wanted to become a police officer and wanted to help people.

Asuma remembered when Jiraiya had left the island for several years to realize his dreams, saying he was getting to old and didn’t want to regret anything. Asuma had supported him. Not many people left the island, and he felt that Jiraiya was meant for greater things. Two years later, the older man had returned.

Asuma had went to pick up his friend and mentor from the ferry dock. His excitement to hear if Jiraiya had made it and his plans on the future had him nearly giddy with excitement. Asuma was excited for Jiraiya. He had waited as the passengers disembarked one by one. He almost didn’t recognize the man who had gotten off.

The familiar carefree spark was no-where to be seen. The eyes that had looked ahead where down cast and lost. He was covered with bandages as if he had been on a battlefield. He left ear was even missing a chip as if to reinforce the image. The only things Jiraiya carried off the boat was a small backpack, and a six-year-old child looking as dead as Jiraiya did. Jiraiya didn’t speak a single word that day.

It was later that Asuma found out that Namikaze, Minato had died and the rumor of Minato’s criminal deeds and the rumor surrounding his death that followed. Asuma remembered the shock. Minato had been a kind soul. He was bright, promising, and like Jiraiya’s son. Minato was probably the only one closer to Jiraiya than Asuma was. It was a no brainer that Jiraiya would take in his orphaned son.

It was years before Jiraiya finally put Minato’s death behind him, but he struggled to get there. Jiraiya was out of his element caring for Naruto. Mentoring was different than raising a child, and Jiraiya struggled to adapt. Naruto hadn’t made it easy for Jiraiya either. The child at first was so unresponsive, backing the rumors that he had in fact seen his father’s death. Asuma tried to help as much as he could, but something always kept him busy.

The rumors didn’t help. Conformity was a thing Asuma had liked about his country. Think of society, not the individual. Helping each other survive was only right, but Asuma saw how the town treated Naruto. He fit outside of the normal circle, from his looks to his behavior. He was outcasted before he could even comprehend his situation. With Jiraiya too busy supporting him and trying to come to terms over his own loss, and the town’s rejection, Naruto acted out.

Naruto was a good kid. Asuma could see that. He tried to help Jiraiya when he could, but Jiraiya ended up traveling more and more due to his books, leaving Naruto alone. 

Jiraiya also loved Naruto, trying his best to raise a kid that had been dropped in his lap without notice. Jiraiya struggled to contain his immaturity and easy-going nature long enough to attempt to raise a child, but he did it for Naruto.

Knowing all this, all the struggles they had to endure over the years just made it more difficult for Asuma to tell Jiraiya.

Jiraiya sat in front of Asuma’s desk, waiting for Asuma to say something. Jiraiya’s eyes made it clear he knew whatever Asuma was going to say, he wasn’t going to like it.

Buying time, Asuma took his time lighting a cigarette, letting out a long drawn out sigh when he exhaled. “We found a dead man in the alleyway next to Asari’s a couple of days ago. He was killed with a severe head injury. The only other injury we had found was a bruise that was shaped like a hand around his neck. Due to the evidence, it’s safe to say it was a murder.”

Jiraiya’s body became rigid, his eyes hardening and narrowing at Asuma. “You think Naruto did this?”

“Jiraiya-kun…”

“You know Naruto. He would never do this.”

“Based on his past, it might not be impo─”

Jiraiya stood up with so much force, the chair fell to the floor, skidding back half a meter. Grabbing the lapels of Asuma’s uniform, he brought Asuma to him, growling in a low voice. “What do you know about Naruto? You and the rest of this town never gave him a chance.” His words were as sharp as a katana. “Naruto may be a delinquent, but he is no murderer. I expected more from you.”

Jiraiya’s words hurt as it was coming from Asuma’s idol, but he covered it up with his police persona. He would not allow personal emotions to interfere with his work. “We found his hair at the scene. It was caught on the wall near the body.”

At the information, Jiraiya’s form sagged, and his grip weakened. “Asuma, you don’t really believe that he’s capable of this, do you?”

Asuma looked him straight in the eye. It was the least he could do to show respect to the man he admired. “I am beginning to think so, yes.”

Jiraiya released him, turning his back to Asuma and muttering to himself.

“His father didn’t have a clean record, and by the end, he was running from the law. He was charged with murder and many other heavy crimes. I hate to say this, Jiraiya-kun, but maybe, he’s taking after his father.”

“Don’t,” Jiraiya said with a steely glare, “address me so familiarly.”

Asuma’s gaze wavered. Years of training kept the disappointment off his face. His posture didn’t waver, nor did his voice, when he responded. “I know this must be difficult for you. I will contact you when we find him, Jiraiya-sensei. You are free to go.”

The door slammed behind Jiraiya, echoing in the silent room. For Jiraiya’s sake, he hoped they were wrong about Naruto. He really, really hoped so.

* * *

With some help from a very reluctant acquaintance, Sasuke had tracked down Uzumaki. It wasn’t even an acquaintance really. He hated Sasuke’s entire existence, and they had only met once previously, but he had done the favor as the task had something in it for him for Uzumaki’s retrieval. It would make his master happy.

As expected, Sasuke’s acquaintance was able to locate Sasuke’s vicinity within an hour. With the rain, it made it more difficult to track, but the acquaintance prided himself on his abilities. Once within a kilometer of Naruto’s location, he had left Sasuke alone to do the rest.

The journey had led him deep into the mountain forest. The second-largest mountain on the island─ the school’s mountain being the smallest. There were four mountains total, though instead of a sharp peak, they were either rounded or flat at the top and none of them were competing for breaking any height records. The mountains were also loosely connected with just enough separation to be called separate mountains. Out of the four mountains, this one caused Sasuke the most discomfort.

There were several torii’s, on the mountain, many of which Sasuke had to walk through in his climb up. He had also caught glances talismans and shimenawa, sacred rope, though worn down and slowly rotting away, were still in effect. The sacred air of the mountain wanted to reject Sasuke’s presence. There was an invisible weight against his body that caused discomfort. If he had to describe it, it was like he was submerged in water with the pressure coming from all sides. The small shrines on the mountains may have seemed abandoned, but there was a presence that still remained to keep evil out.

He was trespassing.

Sasuke watched his surroundings, not feeling any presence beside the animals that were scurrying around the remains of forgotten structures. Following his acquaintance’s instructions, he found himself in what looked to be an abandoned shrine.

Night had fallen, but he could see as clearly as if it was day. Naruto was indeed at the shrine. Sitting within the small space barely big enough to fit his body, he was curled up, his arms wrapped around his knees, looking straight ahead, seeing nothing in front of him. His clothes were wrinkled as if they had been soaked at some point and his hair was stringy and dirty. There was mud, splashed onto the bottom of his school uniform pants. His eyes were red as if he had been crying for a long time and his nose and cheek color matched that suspicion.

A cold wind passed, making Naruto shiver and hold himself tighter, but other than that, he didn’t react to anything, not even Sasuke’s presence as he came closer. Sasuke didn’t dare to walk up the rotting stairs to the shrine, keeping a good step away from the bottom. Even in the dark, Naruto could not miss Sasuke standing before him.

Several minutes passed and neither of them spoke.

“What are you doing here?” Naruto’s voice was raspy with disuse. Since Sasuke’s first meeting with Naruto, this was the first time there wasn’t any life in his voice. Life just seemed to have drained out of him.

“I should be asking you the same question. You know, everyone’s worried about you.”

A weak chuckle left Naruto’s mouth, his shoulders shaking. “Why do you care? I’m just something to keep you entertained, aren’t I?”

“Because your disappearance is causing me unwanted trouble.”

At Sasuke’s words, life snapped back into Naruto’s form, his body jerking forward. “Unwanted trouble? UNWANTED TROUBLE!” He yelled, he stood up, coming out of the shrine. “I’m causing you unwanted trouble! I’m a fucking monster now! All because you thought I would be interesting, you took my humanity and turned me into a killer, you selfish prick!” Naruto descended the stairs to shove Sasuke’s chest.

“If that’s what you feel, perhaps I shouldn’t have come to find you,” Sasuke’s calm and disinterested voice fueled the fire in Naruto.

With rage, he tried to punch Sasuke, who took a step back, dodging the attack. It didn’t deter Naruto, who kept throwing punch after punch. Sasuke kept saying just out of reach as he dodged each punch with minimal effort. Unlike before, Naruto’s attacks were less coordinated. His fists were just flying without any structure, making them easy to read. His attempts were just an emotional outburst and a reasonable one at that. Sasuke wasn’t mad. It was the next step in the process of truly accepting what was to come.

Sasuke dodged another attack, that resulted in Naruto punching a tree. There was a faint cracking of Naruto breaking his knuckles and the louder crack of the wood splinting where Naruto’s fist had been. Naruto did not show an ounce of pain or even awareness that he had broken his hand as he pulled his fist back, blood trailing down the back of his hand profusely.

“Why did you do this to me?!” he screamed, tears streaming down his face. 

Despite his wound, Naruto kept recklessly attacking, and it was beginning to make Sasuke annoyed. “I have nothing left! You took everything from me!”

_Why?! Why did you take everything from me!_

The words resonated with Sasuke, pulling up an unwanted memory. The memory was like a chain, wrapping around his throat threatening to suffocate him. His composure shaken, Naruto’s next sloppy attack cause Sasuke’s instincts to kick in. Grabbing hold of Naruto’s right jab with his right hand, Sasuke left hand secured itself underneath Naruto’s armpit. Stepping in and using his left shoulder for leverage, he threw Naruto over his shoulder, hard onto the ground, harder than he had intended.

Naruto didn’t move to get up. Soft sobs left his lips as his tears continued to fall. He had bit his lips, blood trailing down his chin, but otherwise he unharmed.

Sasuke looked down at Naruto, all feelings of pity he might have felt gone from his mind. “You think you have lost everything? So you killed someone, big deal. To live is to take life. Humans kill and torture animals for their own gain, I don’t see why a vampire killing to eat is so wrong. Why are humans allowed a pass, but vampires are the monsters?”

Sasuke leaned over him, so Naruto could only see him. “You have a guardian and friends worried about you. That’s more than a lot of others in the world. If you want to sit here and wallow, go ahead. But remember this, no one will come to save you. If you want to survive, you have to save yourself.”

Sasuke left Naruto lying on the ground. His hearing could pick up the faint sobs coming from the young human. People would have called him cruel for his actions, but sympathy was for the weak. He didn’t need someone who would hold him back, not when he was so close to his goal. The world was about to become a much crueler place. The sooner Naruto grew a tougher skin, the better.


	7. Usokawa

The room was dark. The curtains were drawn, covering the windows with the heavy material, ensuring no light escaped them.

That wasn’t to say that the room was completely devoid of light. There was a single candle on a side table, offering enough light to assist in reading if one was willing to strain their eyes. While one might think the room would be stuffy and dreary, that was not the case. The furniture was of antique European style, decorated tastefully so that it added a regal sense, if a little outdated, without being gaudy.

The low light wasn’t a problem for the man who entered, navigating the room as if it was as bright as day. He stopped in front of the couch, taking a knee, and waited to be addressed.

“You are late, Kuro-san. Did you have any difficulties?” The man who had spoken was the only other occupant in the room. He sat on the sofa, holding a worn, hardback book in one hand while he leaned against his fist with the other.

His hair was short, dark brown that curled on the ends. His eyes were a dark brown. His face was young, that of a man in his early or mid-twenties.

Kuro took great pains to avoid looking into that face. He had only heard rumors, but if the rumors were right, he couldn’t bother to look at the face in greater detail.

“I’m sorry, Boss. I had problems escaping the morgue. There was always two or more people in the room. I couldn’t risk someone seeing me.”

“I don’t expect excuses, Kuro-san. You made me wait.” Kuro heard the soft clank of a cup being placed on the side table but didn’t dare to look up.

The man’s voice was soft and melodious. It was lulling. He never raised his voice or yelled, spoke with enough authority that one would feel compelled to listen to him, but not overly aggressive. However, as pleasant as it was to listen to, it sent a shiver of fear under Kuro’s skin. The voice was utterly emotionless. Kuro could never understand what his boss was thinking or wanting. He could never predict what his boss might do.

“You have my utmost apologies, Boss. It will never happen again. I swear.”

Kuro kept his eyes trained just below his boss’s chin, attempting to read his body language. The boss seemed relaxed, nothing about him seemed displeased.

“Did you complete the mission I assigned to you?”

“Yes, Boss.”

“And?”

Kuro bowed his head more, turning his gaze to the floor. “It’s as you suspected. Uzumaki-sama is one of them.”

“I see,” was all he said.

It was a useless response to Kuro, again unable to pick out anything of what his boss was possibly thinking.

Kuro was hired by his boss’s partner. He was paid a fair compensation for the work assigned to him. As long as it didn’t involve killing, Kuro would take any job. He didn’t mind being a lackey. It gave some flavor to his otherwise boring existence. He had only met his new boss three times, but the strain of being in this man’s presence really wasn’t worth the trouble of continuing to be under his employment. He was planning to quit, especially after knowing about that kid Uzumaki. He didn’t want trouble.

His boss stood; Kuro didn’t dare move until he was given permission to do so.

“I have received your request. You have wished this to be your last job correct?”

“Yes, Boss. I had wanted to return to Korea to check on my family. Maybe take over the store for a decade or two.” It wasn’t quite a lie. He did have family in South Korea, and there was a store there, but it wasn’t the reason for leaving. He didn’t want the man to think he was going to betray him.

“It will be unfortunate to lose your employment. You were quite promising.” A calloused hand touched Kuro’s chin, forcing him to look up and meet the boss’s eyes. Kuro had only a second, maybe two. It was the last thing Kuro saw before his head was torn from his body as easily as tearing paper.

A small squirt of blood splattered onto the boss’s clean uniform. The body fell over and the head rolled. Thick. coagulated blood, dripped from the wound, but the carpet largely remained clean in contrary to the violence that had just taken place.

“If you had quit before your latest mission, you would have been spared. I hope you can forgive me, but his secret must remain for a while longer. I cannot afford liabilities.”

Frowning just slightly at the mess on his uniform, he called out, barely raising his voice. “Have someone deliver his corpse to Sasori-san. I will be returning to work, today.”

A creature appeared out of the shadows. It had a childlike appearance but wore a simple, dark blue yukata, his sleeves tied back with a long, thin white cloth, and a white work apron. His hair was just long enough to tie back into a high ponytail, but no longer. His eyes glowed in the low-lit room, both a different color, one blue and one brown, with a vertical slits.

“Yes, my lord,” he responded in a bright and charming voice of a child. “Anything else I can do for you?”

“No.” His shirt ruined with blood, the boss removed his tie and shirt. “There should be a shipment of a fresh human carcasses. You may have first pick.”

The child’s features took cat-like qualities as he grinned. “Thank you, my lord! Do any of them smell like fish?” The child ran up to him, extending a clean shirt for his master to take.

“That is none of my concern.” The man took the shirt, dropping the soiled one.

The child leaned forward to catch it before it touched the floor, folding it over his arm. Quickly, he returned to his ram straight posture before bowing. “Of course, my lord. Please return home safely.”

Dressed, the man took headed to the front door, picking up a police hat in the process.

* * *

Naruto stood outside the gate to his home, staring at it with uncertainty. He didn’t know whether he should enter or run away. Doubts still clouded his mind on what was the right thing. He was covered in dirt and smelled something awful. Maybe he should at least wash up in the ocean and make himself more presentable. He tugged lightly on his hair, feeling the grime that had accumulated in the span of three days. Could he even comb down his hair with his fingers?

He was having second thoughts on returning. He took a shaky step back, intimidated by the thought of explaining why he ran away. Would they even care?

Jiraiya might be secretly happy that he was gone. He could go to all the hostess clubs he visited in his youth and travel as much as he wanted without worry about some brat he had to feed. Tsunade wouldn’t have to stress about the trouble he was getting into anymore and maybe she could gather the courage to actually start a relationship with Jiraiya. And people would stop talking badly about them for taking care of an orphan like him too. Wouldn’t they be happier without him?

His nerves crumpled into dust.

A step within his retreat, Tsunade’s voice carried over the distance. “Naruto! Naruto!”

Frozen in his steps, he thought of what he should do, but in the end, he gave the woman a shaky smile. “Hey, Baa-chan.”

Tsunade ran to him arms outstretched. He thought she was going to hug him until her relieved expression morphed into that of an angry demon. When she was within reached, she slapped him across the face.

Naruto blinked, words fleeting his thoughts. All he could do was turn his head back slowly and stare at her inanely.

There were dark bags under her eyes, and in the corner tears that she was trying to hold back that would spill over any second. “You idiot! Do you have any idea how worried we were?! We thought something might have happened to you!”

The stinging of his cheek, the scolding, Jiraiya leaning against the door frame watching, Naruto’s eyes began to water.

But he did not cry.

What right did he have to cry in front of them. They had endured more than he had. They had lost his parents, their dear friends and kohai, while being saddled with him.

Instead, he gave her a warm, gentle smile. “I’m sorry, Baa-chan. I just… I needed to think and…”

Tsunade cut him off with a hug. Her tears wetting his already stained shirt. “I’m just glad your home safe,” she whispered.

He stood dumbfounded. It was the most affection she had ever shown him. Naruto was used to her slapping him─ even punching him if he really screwed up─ which he deserved given some of the trouble he found himself in. He must have really scared her this time, he thought distantly.

With some hesitation, he finally returned her hug. “I’m sorry, Baa-chan,” he repeated. “It won’t happen again.”

“Naruto,” the rough voice of his guardian called out to him from the entrance. “Why don’t you both come inside. You’ll get a cold in those close.”

Tsunade pulled away gently, wiping the last of her tears. “Yeah. I’ll run you a bath too. You smell putrid.”

“That’s just Jiraiya-jiichan’s cooking.”

Naruto’s small joke earned him a small laugh from Tsunade, but she didn’t let go of his arm. She wanted to make sure that this time, he made it all the way inside.

* * *

On a roof of a neighboring house, a pair of onyx eyes watched the scene across the street as the small, broken family tried to comfort one another. Most would consider it touching, but for Sasuke, it was difficult to watch. The important thing was Naruto had decided to return on his own without being forced to.

“You know, stalking is illegal.”

Sasuke only shifted his eyes to catch a glimpse of Gaara sitting beside him though a moment ago he had been alone. “What do you want?”

“To see if you kept your end of the deal.” Gaara watched Naruto and his guardians go inside. “What happened?”

“I should be asking you. I found specks of ghoul’s blood mixed in old human blood in town during my search.”

Gaara frowned. “It’s not possible.”

“That was my impression. Perhaps your territory isn’t as secured as you thought.”

“No security is perfect. Even ghouls can pass for human to an untrained eye.” Gaara stared at the Uzumaki household. “What did he do to Uzumaki?”

“From what I saw, it’s what Uzumaki did. He thought he killed him,” Sasuke stood, surveying the area. “I’m not fond of games. Is there a reason why I received death threats from your beloved leader over that kid?”

“If you dislike it, leave,” Gaara stood as well. Gaara walked to the edge, ready to jump off when Sasuke added one last jab.

“I saw the Hyuuga boy by the way,” Sasuke used a polite tone that he knew would grate on Gaara’s nerves. The statement had the desired effect, making Gaara stop. “He was making a stake.”

Gaara lingered on the edge of the roof. His body trembling. Whether from rage, sadness, or fear, Sasuke didn’t really care. It wasn’t any of his business what trouble Gaara had found himself in.

Gaara didn’t offer a response, jumping off the roof to the next then the next, ignoring Sasuke’s existence.

Now that he had taken care of the nagging in his ear, he could go back to his thoughts.

What was a ghoul doing on the island? Surely a ghoul would recognize Uzumaki as a fledgling, meaning the ghoul would know that Uzumaki was under another’s protection for the time being. It had taken a month of bargaining and a book of rules he had to follow just to set foot on the island. Deidara had his ways when it came to getting what he wanted, but even his hand was limited here. He only came as a favor for him under the pretense of business, and he didn’t stay once the sun went down. For a ghoul to make the hassle to come here of all places to search out a fledgling?

He wanted to believe it was Itachi’s doing, but the timing did not quite fit. He had only involved himself with Uzumaki for less than a day before the incident occurred. It was not enough time to randomly decide to pick a ghoul to go after Uzumaki. Even if that was the case, Uzumaki wouldn’t be able to beat a ghoul so easily. Meaning the ghoul would have had to throw the fight or Uzumaki was stronger than he should have been.

Neither scenario made sense.

The door of the house he was intruding on opened. Akamaru came outside, walking out far enough to growl softly at him. Sasuke looked back with veiled annoyance.

“What is it, boy? Something on the roof?” Inuzuka walked out yawning and scratching his stomach in nothing but a pair of shorts. Sleepily, the young man looked up at the roof only to find no one there.

* * *

“Kabuto, are the preparations complete?” a man spoke with a sickly sweet voice. His black hair was drenched in what Kabuto could only describe as slime as it was thick and translucent with a greenish tint, and his skin was a pale white as if it had never seen the sun.

The man was sitting up in a capsule, the door had opened automatically, signaling the end of today’s stabilization treatment. The man stood, sloshing the slime-like substance onto the floor. Nude, he stepped out of the capsule, pulling out the tube in his arm. “Kabuto?”

“Almost ready, Orochimaru-sama,” Kabuto replied respectfully, ignoring the nudeness of his employer.

The body that Sasori had given him laid on a metallic table. Wires and tubes covered nearly every inch of the corpse.

Inserting one last tube into the corpses forearm, Kabuto took a step back to admire his handiwork. “He is prepared, Orochimaru-sama.”

“Wonderful! Let me see him,” Orochimaru pushed Kabuto out of the way with just a single finger, but that shove was enough to nearly make Kabuto trip. His eyes lit up and a snake-like smile stretched on his face, too wide to be considered normal.

“Ah, yes, he is in much better condition than I expected. The wait may have been worth it.” With boney fingers, he ran his hand over the corpse as one would with a new toy. “Put him in.”

“Yes, Orochimaru-sama.” Kabuto kneeled, pushing a button on the capsule below. The table jerked before beginning its descent into the capsule.

Orochimaru just stood watching with a gleeful glint in his eye.

Kabuto had already moved on, grabbing a lab coat and holding it up for his master to slip into to.

Orochimaru didn’t notice right away, not moving until the capsule’s clear doors closed and liquid began to fill it. Eventually, the man took notice of Kabuto’s presence once more and put on the coat, but didn’t bother to close the front, instead padding his way over to his desk.

“How is Sasori-sensei doing, Kabuto?”

The way Orochimaru asked was flippant, as if he could care less about the German doctor, but like Sasori, Kabuto’s master had a fixation on very particular things. Sasori was not one of them.

“He asked me to give him the details of your location as well as your plans for the corpse,” Kabuto replied faithfully. “He also mentioned to me that some of his corpses have gone missing.”

“Did he now?” That seemed to grab his employer’s interest if only briefly. “So, he thinks you’re still working for him, does he? How cute.” Sitting on the edge of his desk, he picked up the report Kabuto had carefully compiled for him. “But he does suspect that we’re the ones taking the corpses.”

“It is likely,” Kabuto looked at the other four capsules that had corpses enclosed in them. “He just lacks proof. I have stolen other corpses to hide the truth, but Sasori-sama is a genius. If he has not found the connection, he will soon.”

“Yes, yes.” Orochimaru brushed aside the comment. “More importantly, did you find, Gaara-chan?”

Kabuto bowed his head. “Yes.”

“To think he would settle in Japan of all places. And the other?”

“Not found yet,” Kabuto lied smoothly. “I am still looking.”

Kabuto’s response brought a frown to Orochimaru’s face. “How unfortunate. He’s the one I was looking forward to finding the most. I have the father; I should have the son too.” With an exaggerated sigh, he leaned over to toss the papers into a shredder. “Still, your work is impressive as always, Kabuto. I may begin to trust you yet.”

Kabuto bowed as Orochimaru walked past him.

“I have a meeting today, but I expect information on Gaara-chan by the time I return.” Orochimaru looked down at Kabuto. He still had that playful smile, but it was a smile of a snake. “Don’t disappoint me.”

“Of course, Orochimaru-sama.” Kabuto stayed bowing until the doors behind Orochimaru closed.

Once it was certain he was alone, Kabuto put on a pair of glasses.

Changes to his appearance was like a game of chess. Right now, his name was Kabuto. At the host club in Shibuya, Rin. The teaching assistant in Fukuoka, Shinryuu. Each persona had a different style, a different way of speaking, and a different story. And with his common face, people will automatically dismiss him as someone else through presentation alone. They couldn’t possibly be the same person after all.

His acting was perfection and his ability to separate each life, so they never intersect, was due to his acting and memory. On the rare occasion someone he knew from one life entered another, he could act as if they had never met and never make the mistake of mixing conversations.

He did not know his real name or his real story. Perhaps that would worry some people; not him.

Kabuto shrugged off his lab coat, draping it over the chair. Humming softly, he rolled up his sleeve.

He wasn’t presumptuous enough to think he could play both of his employers forever, and truthfully, he didn’t want to believe he could.

Kabuto picked up a needle he had prepared earlier, sitting innocently on the autopsy table. With an expert hand, he inserted the tip into his vein on the first try, emptying the contents.

As long as he could pick their brains for a while longer, he did not mind the consequences. He was already a ghost to most people. There one moment, gone the next.

Removing the needle, he watched in quiet fascination as the small wound closed almost immediately.

An alarm on his phone blared its annoying jingle, reminding him of the time. Still humming, he picked up a school blazer, careful not to wrinkle it.

For now, it was time to assume another identity.

* * *

Asuma let out a long, irritated sigh. Today had gone just horribly. The talk with Jiraiya had gone worse than he had hoped. While he did believe Naruto may have been involved, he was hoping Jiraiya would have talked to him long enough to figure out something together. While the blame fell on him for the poor delivery, it was still a failure.

Then his wife calls telling him she thinks she’s going into labor only to find out, after he had pretty much run out of the office to go to the hospital, barely issuing orders before leaving, it was just cramps.

Of course, she decided not to call him and tell him it was really nothing until after he was already at the hospital, panicking about whether she was okay or not.

By the time he arrived, she had already been sent home ages ago.

Sometimes he loved her. Sometimes he hated her. Today, it was lingering on the later.

“It takes a woman to drive a man crazy,” he muttered to himself, leaning back in his office chair.

He took a long drag from his cigarette, letting the nicotine relax his tight muscles. He knew he should quit before the baby was due, but it was just not something he was able to ween himself off of.

While the day had been trying, it was his co-worker’s parting words that really nagged him this late into the night.

At the time, it had seemed like a normal exchange, but as the hours passed, the more he kept thinking about it.

_“That will be all for today, Usokawa-san. Thank you for your hard work,” Asuma withheld a groan when his desk was still covered in paperwork and thinking of the overtime he would have to do._

_“Do you want the reports of the autopsy, sir?” the young man held out a manila envelope for Asuma to take._

_Asuma took it, lamenting over the additional work. “Thank you. Your work is as impeccable as always.”_

_“Try not to work too hard, Captain. It would be a shame if something were to happen to you.”_

_“Well if something did, the station would be in capable hands,” Asuma offered him a tired smile. “You should get going. The last bus will leave soon.”_

_“Don’t worry about me. It’s not like I have anyone waiting for me at home. If I miss it, I’ll just stay at one of the inns.”_

_There was a sadness in the young man’s voice that Asuma sympathized with. “You’re still young. I’m sure you’ll find a nice wife that you can come home too eventually. I know a few women, if you’re interested.”_

_“That’s very considerate, but I don’t think I’ll be dating anytime soon. Right now is a bit inconvenient…”_

_Sensing he had said something he shouldn’t, Asuma quickly backtracked. “I didn’t mean to pry.”_

_“No need to apologize. I just rather be looking after my little brother right now. He’s all I got left, you know?” Usokawa gave him such a genuine smile, that he almost looked like a child._

_Asuma smiled back. “He’s lucky to have such a caring brother like you. I almost wish you were younger. I’d marry you off to my unborn daughter if I could.”_

_Usokawa chuckled. “I don’t think your daughter would be too happy with you if you tried. For now, my brother is enough for me.”_

_“I’m sensing a bit of a brother complex from you,” Asuma joked._

_“Maybe just a little.” With the last of his papers packed in his bag, Usokawa prepared to leave for the night._

_“You should go out for a drink with the boys once in a while. Bonding in the department is good,” Asuma called out._

_“Sorry, Captain.” Usokawa smiled as he always did, but there was something in that smile that seemed like he was laughing at some inside joke. “I don’t drink.”_

_Usokawa left, and Asuma chuckled, thinking, “That’s so like Usokawa-san.”_

It was the last thought that he had when talking to Usokawa that troubled him. Something about it seemed off. “That’s so like Usokawa-san.”

He had known Usokawa for years so of course he would know Usokawa’s tendencies by now.

Asuma frowned.

No. That wasn’t right. Usokawa was pretty young. He could have only been on the force for three, maybe four years at best. Usokawa looked barely over 20. He couldn’t have possibly known him as long as he felt.

The more he thought about it the worse his memory of Usokawa became. How did he meet Usokawa exactly?

The lack of recall made Asuma uneasy. Usokawa had always been helpful and kind, and yet here he was doubting him because he couldn’t remember any specific details. It was like he just knew him one day.

Chalking it up to being tired, the police captain cleared his desk, putting documents he would need to look over for the murder case in his briefcase. He’d do some work after a couple of hours of sleep and before he came in in the morning. It was unusual to have such a high-profile case on the island, so it was a bit nice to be busy with real work for once. It was just unfortunate that someone had to lose their life for it to happen.

Saying goodnight to the few officers on night duty, Asuma left the station as he did any other night.

He didn’t live far from his home. A good, 15-20 minute walk. He had a car, but for the sake of the environment and to save on costs, he chose to walk majority of the time.

It was well into the night, around 2 or 3 in the morning. The town was shut down, so there was no activity, not even a stray drunk, and yet, it seemed like he was being followed. There was nothing to back up the feeling. He didn’t even hear the sound of footsteps behind him, but he walked a little bit faster.

……… And faster

…..And faster.

And faster.

He was just short of a run when he saw a man standing underneath a street lamp, causing him to come to a stop. His breathing was raged from the mix of anxiety and face pace he had set.

Laughing to himself, he tried to shake off his nerves that were making his hands shake. There was nothing to be afraid of. What would it look like if the police chief was running down the street like a maniac? He had an image to keep.

Walking at a more natural pace, he approached the man under the lamp, but as he got closer, he realized it was someone he had never met before.

He was definitely a foreigner, around his age perhaps, with light brown hair that was beginning to turn gray at the temples. He was Caucasian and a bit taller than him.

Asuma became nervous for a different reason. While he was okay with foreigners who lived on the island, the ones that didn’t put him at a loss. His English was shaky at best and trying to communicate was often tedious and unrewarding.

“ _Are you lost?”_ Asuma asked in his best English. His accent was thick, and his L sounded more like an R.

The man looked at him with curiosity though, for some reason, he also looked very annoyed. “ _Is your name, Asuma Sarutobi?_ ”

Asuma barely caught his name, but all he really could think of was, why would this foreigner be asking for him? _“I am Sarutobi, Asuma._ ”

“ _Fucking bastard. I should have known he would lie. After coming all the way here to this backwater island. This isn’t even worth my time._ ” The man muttered under his breath.

Asuma didn’t understand most of what he had said, but he was beginning to get the feeling like he shouldn’t be talking to him. _“I need to go. Have good night.”_

Asuma took a step past only for his wrist to be grabbed. Asuma resisted the instinct to throw the man over his shoulder, turning his head to yell at the foreigner to let go.

He wished he had followed his instinct.

Instead of a man, he saw something he could not describe. Something with form? Something without? A mist yet a solid. All he really knew was that it was dark. Not black. Black was a color. This thing didn’t have a color. It was a thing that sucked everything into it like a black hole where not even light escaped. His touch was as cold as ice, sapping Asuma’s warmth like a leech.

 _“Well, even men will do_.” The creature said, and it was then that Asuma snapped out of his horrified trance to try to pull away, too terrified to even scream. _“A demon’s got to eat_.”

Asuma panicked, pulling his wrist away only to be dragged closer. He had nothing to defend himself with, having signed his gun into the police locker at the end of his shift. The light above them, and several down the street, exploded, showering Asuma with glass and plastic, causing him to close his eyes to protect himself.

When he opened them again, the creature had produced what looked like a scythe in his hand. Its metal was as dark as the creature was, but the moonlight bounced off the blade, highlighting its sharp edge.

This thing had to be the literal incarnate of death was all Asuma’s mind could think. What else could it be other than death itself? He couldn’t even feel the hand that it had touched as if the life had been leached out.

“No, please!” Asuma finally found his voice, but he was still being dragged into an alley despite his struggling.

Throwing so much weight into his last-ditch attempt to escape, he fell back onto the ground. Relief and hope flooded through him, thinking he was freed, but he realized too late that the creature had let go on purpose to instead grab his leg and drag him along. Asuma kicked and clawed at the concrete, his nails, ripping off as they caught on the asphalt and the skin wearing down his fingertips to the bone. In the process, he screamed, hoping, praying that someone would help him, but he may as well have been lying dead for as easily as he was dragged along.

At the back of the alley, he was pulled on his feet and pressed against the creature in a second, his back to its front. If the creature hadn’t held him, he would have fallen, his legs shaking so badly they were on the brink of collapsing.

Something like a hand covered his mouth, drowning his screams. The cold blade of the scythe bit lightly into Asuma’s skin, drawing a thin line of blood from his neck.

“Do me a favor,” the creature’s voice whispered into his ear in perfect Japanese. Tears were rolling down Asuma’s face in fear, and the smell of ammonia filled the air. “And don’t breathe.”

Darkness enveloped the pair, like a sheet encasing them, while a circle of darkness formed below them. The darkness twisted, and then it dispersed like smoke.

Revealing nothing but an empty alley in its wake.

* * *

Naruto walked into the classroom the next morning. Despite coming home tired, and severely dehydrated, he insisted on going to school regardless of Tsunade’s and Jiraiya’s objections.

When he walked in, the classroom became still, all eyes turning to him. The heat of their stare made him want to duck his head.

With a nervous smile, he waved to his classmate and proceed to walk to his seat as normally as he could.

By the time he sat down, chatter had resumed. He let out a breath he didn’t know what he was holding, letting his head hit his desk.

“There are better ways to hurt yourself.”

Gaara’s voice drifted into Naruto’s tired brain, prompting Naruto to lift his head enough to look at his friend. To anyone else, Gaara probably looked like he couldn’t care less, but just the fact he was looking at him and not out the window was telling Naruto how worried he was.

Forcing another smile, he tried to brush off Gaara’s concern. “I’m fine, Gaara. Just tired.”

“You sure that’s it?” Kiba had turned his chair around to face Naruto. His usually carefree face was full of concern, and guilt ate at Naruto’s conscience. “Where were you?”

“Just skipping. I found this cool place up in the mountains and got a bit lost,” Naruto laughed.

“Naruto, man.” Kiba lowered his voice. “You can talk to me. I know about Uchiha. If he did anything…”

The shock about Kiba knowing, hit Naruto in the gut, making Naruto’s smile waver. “Really, nothing’s going on,” he insisted. “I’m just fine.”

Kiba opened his mouth to say something else, but Gaara intervened. “Go buy me strawberry milk,” he ordered in a bored tone.

Kiba looked at Gaara with fear then averted his eyes. “Yeah, sure.” Kiba left just as the final bell tolled.

“Since when has Kiba been your errand boy?” Naruto asked, shocked by his friend’s behavior. Gaara could be violent, but he never went out of his way to torture or boss people around. Naruto knew Gaara treated him differently from others, but Kiba had somewhat special treatment as well. Until now that was.

Gaara didn’t answer instead looking back out his window, leaving Naruto with mixed feelings. He was relieved Kiba’s line of questioning stopped but concerned that Kiba seemed afraid of Gaara.

“Uzumaki-san?”

The soft voice of Naruto’s girlfriend, almost made Naruto groan. He had forgotten his date. “Sakura-chan,” he went for his best placating voice he could manage. “I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to stand you up.”

“No, no. It’s okay, but are you alright? We heard that you were sick.”

Is that what Jiraiya and Tsunade had told everyone? “Um, yeah. I wasn’t feeling all that great.”

“Don’t push yourself too hard. If you still feel bad, you should rest in the infirmary.”

“Thanks for worrying, but I’m okay.”

“Oh…okay.” She lingered, shifting from foot to foot. “I made lunch. If you want, we could eat it together.”

“Thanks, Sakura-chan, but today is a bit inconvenient…”

“Of course. You probably want to rest during lunch. I’ll send you a message later?”

“Sounds great.”

His reply and smile managed to get rid of her, leaving Naruto with growing stress as more and more situations seemed to pop up due to his absence.

“Fake, bitch.”

The mumbled comment made Naruto wide-eyed. Gaara rarely cursed, so it was very out of character. “I know she’s not exactly in love with me, but I think that’s taking it a bit far.”

Gaara turned his head just slightly only to immediately go back to looking outside. “Sorry,” he whispered quietly. “Where’s Uchiha?”

Naruto shrugged, looking down at his desk. He didn’t want to think about it.

Hatake walked in. Everyone stood to give the morning greeting─ minus Gaara.

For once, Naruto wanted a quiet day at school; he wasn’t that lucky. “Uzumaki-kun, please report to the chairman’s office. She wants to see you immediately.”

He did groan aloud this time. He had thought Tsunade had left on business. Gathering what little energy he had, he dragged himself out of the chair and left.

The trip down the hall was long and daunting. Fatigue from the night before was catching up to him. His mind felt as heavy as his body. He wasn’t really thinking, moving on autopilot as he had the past couple days. He would take his punishment from Tsunade and perhaps then he could finally have a quiet day.

He knocked and entered without waiting for a response as he normally did, but it wasn’t Tsunade who awaited him in her office but a police officer.

His blood stilled, turning to ice. Did they find out what he did already? Of course, they did. He hadn’t hidden the body and the gun had been there too. It would have been found in no time.

The officer turned, giving him a warm smile, only making Naruto raise his suspicions. No cop smiled at him like that except Sarutobi ji-chan.

“You must be Uzumaki-san. Please have a seat.”

Cautiously, Naruto closed the door, searching the room for Tsunade, but she wasn’t there. It was just the cop, standing in front of one of the sofas in the sitting area.

“It’s rude not to give your name first,” Naruto replied, not moving from the door.

Normally, his behavior would be off-putting to those older than him. The cop, however, didn’t seem perturbed, still smiling warmly at him. “You’re right. How rude of me. Please call me Officer Usokawa.”

Naruto looked him straight in the eye, intending to find out what game he was playing, but instead of finding doubts, Naruto found a form of relief. It didn’t seem like this cop was trying to get him in trouble.

Obediently, Naruto took the seat offered to him. “Am I in trouble?”

“Not at all, Uzumaki-san. I just wanted to ask a few questions. Nothing serious.”

Naruto leaned back in the chair, trying to act like his usual delinquent self. Instead, it looked forced and awkward as he asked, “Usually it’s Sarutobi ji-san who comes by.”

“I’m filling in for his duties today.” Usokawa sat down across from him.

“I see,” was Naruto’s replied dully. “If you don’t mind, Usokawa-san, I have class. If you could just hurry this up.”

“I just want to follow up on your disappearance. Could you tell me why you ran away?” Usokawa’s voice was calming and he seemed genuinely worried. It gave Naruto a sense of ease he couldn’t place.

“It wasn’t intentional,” he muttered.

“Would you like to talk about it? This is the first time you’ve done something like this.”

Naruto met Usokawa’s eyes. Truthfully, he felt compelled to answer. He wanted to, needed to talk to someone about what he was feeling, but how could he? No one would believe him. Still, he wanted to say something. He wanted to say something, but he also wanted to rip out his throat with his teeth.

The passing thought made Naruto sick to his stomach. What did he just think? He wanted to rip out his throat?

Sure enough, the urge inside him was increasing, like an itch dying to be scratch.

Naruto ripped his eyes away, guilt eating away at him as well as panic.

“Uzumaki-san?”

Naruto looked up on instinct, meeting Usokawa’s eyes again. “I …. I needed time to think,” he answered truthfully.

“About what if I may ask?”

Naruto leaned forward, looking at the designs sewn into the rug. “Life. I’m not exactly a model student and finding a career on the island after high school doesn’t look promising either. I was just trying to figure out what I want to do without causing anyone else any more trouble.”

“Being a third-year student is difficult,” Usokawa agreed. “Everyone is probably pushing you to study for your exams and nothing else. It can be very stressful. A lot of suicides happen because of them.”

Naruto scoffed, not hiding his abhorrence. “I’m not taking exams. I’m not going to waste my time studying for something I’m just going to fail. Even if I somehow pass them, my school ranking and reputation will ruin it.”

“Then what do you plan to do?”

What was he planning to do? He didn’t really return with any plans. He just didn’t want people worried about him.

“Uzumaki-san, if I may be so bold, I think what you did may not have been the best way to go about it, but it is understandable. It’s nothing to be ashamed about.”

The answer took Naruto by surprise, and he found himself arguing against himself. “But, I caused trouble. I made people worry.”

“Sometimes, we must hurt the ones we love so that we can grow. The important thing is, make sure you learn from it, so you don’t do it again. Understand?”

“Yeah,” Naruto found himself nodding like a young child who had been properly scolded. It was a new feeling. It was like having a big brother. “Thanks.”

“I’m glad I could help,” Usokawa stood. “It seems you still have a lot to think about Uzumaki-san, but I think I can wipe this incident off your record.”

“You’d do that for me?” he said disbelievingly.

“You’re smart, Uzumaki-san. I think you just need the opportunity to show it.” Usokawa gave him a smile, giving him a small bow. “Thank you for your time, Uzumaki-san. I hope things work out for you.”

Naruto was still dumbfounded at what had happened, so Usokawa left first, putting his cap back on. He was pleasant smiles all the way to the parking lot and to the police cruiser, giving the polite morning greeting to everyone he passed.

He didn’t drop the smile until he was in his car, the engine started. His face became passive, a blank slate. He was coming down the mountain when he pulled out his phone, pushing the speed dial.

 _“This better be good. I don’t do mornings,_ ” came a disgruntled voice in English.

“ _Did you take care of it, Hidan?”_

 _“Ah, it’s you,”_ the sleepy voice was suddenly wide awake and very annoyed. _“Yeah, I took care of him. I just dumped the body. You lied. I thought he was going to be a woman.”_ There was some rustling and some moaning on the other end. “ _Have to admit, it was a nice change. Normally my victims die so quickly, but he brought out the darker side of me,”_ the voice was positively gleeful. _“I haven’t tortured someone in so long.”_

 _“Are you still in town?”_ ignoring the sound of Jack’s new bed partner coming over the speaker.

_“Nah, I went back to the mainland. Like hell, I’d stay there longer than I had to.”_

_“I am heading back as well_ ,” Usokawa’s voice dropped into an old English accent. _“The address I have mentioned previously will be the rendezvous. You may pick up your payment there._ ” Usokawa hung up, dropping the phone into the passenger seat.

* * *

Naruto didn’t go back to class as he should have. Leaning on the roof railing, he looked out over the town at the bottom of the mountain. The meeting with Usokawa had been insightful. Now that it was sinking in that he was changing. He should think of what to do─ in a way that didn’t worry anyone else.

“I should have known you would be up here.”

Uchiha’s sudden appearance didn’t surprise him. He was beginning to get used to his sudden appearances. He sighed heavily. “You know, Sakura-chan asked me out up here.”

He felt Uchiha move beside him.

“Gaara and I became friends up here too. He would ditch class all the time when he started school here. I’d follow him up here. He’d sit there ignoring me while I talked. At some point, those talks moved to the classroom than outside of school. He was the only one who didn’t run away from me,” he smiled sadly.

“What is your relationship with him?”

“Gaara?” Naruto asked surprised. His surprise slowly melted into a grin. “Why? Jealous?”

Instead of a comeback, Uchiha just stared at him intensely. The attention made Naruto’s face flush, and he had to look away. “Can you stop staring already? It’s creepy. It was just a joke. We’re just friends.”

“So are you coming up here to reminisce or is there a reason?”

“You’re such an asshole,” he mumbled, sighing to himself. “You could give me some sympathy you know.”

“Sympathy?” he said with a small taunt in his voice. “What’s that?”

Despite himself, a smirk twitched on his lips. Naruto shoved Uchiha lightly with his shoulder. “Jerk.”

Uchiha pushed off the railing. “Well let me take a guess as to why you’re standing here reminiscing. Your situation is finally sinking in, and you’re worried about killing your friends one day.”

Hearing it out loud was like confirmation. His life would never be the same. He would never grow old. Never die. Never be able to stay in one place ever again. His body sagged, and his head touched the cold metal of the railing, letting it soothe his heated skin and growing headache. “Something like that.”

“I can’t say that I understand. When I turned, I wanted to, but I won’t say that I won’t take responsibility for messing up your life on a whim.”

Naruto felt something touch his behind. Naruto whirled around to see Uchiha with one of his cigarettes to his lips and using his lighter. “What the hell?!”

“I’m asking you to come live with me.”

Naruto blinked. “Eh?”

Uchiha scoffed. “Not like that. I’m offering you a place to change. A place to learn how to control your new powers and strengths. I’m offering,” he stressed, “a place where you can learn to control your blood lust.”

He was offering a place to hide. Naruto looked down unsure of what to say. “You’d…you’d do that?”

“Don’t get sentimental. I’m just doing my duty.”

A smile crossed his face that lit up his face, showing his relief. “Thanks. Maybe you’re not so bad after all.”

It was Uchiha’s turn to stare.

Naruto found his face heating up again. “Wh-what?!”

Uchiha shrugged, turning to head back inside. “I didn’t say it was free.”

Naruto gaped at him until he ran after him, punching his shoulder. “What happened to taking responsibility?!”

Uchiha ignored him as Naruto chased after him. The vampire had a smug smirk that irked Naruto to no end, but Naruto found himself hiding a smile. Uchiha may have been a jerk, but this was the second time he tried to cheer him up. Perhaps, Uchiha was an okay guy after all.

* * *

Usokawa entered through the doorway, the candles already lit. He had barely taken off his jacket when his servant was there to take it from him. He extended his arm. A beautiful black raven squawked, flew through the open window to perch on his arm. Usokawa’s back straightened into perfect posture, his steps became inhumanely graceful.

With his free hand, he pulled off the wig, dropping, the short dark brown and curly hair to the floor. Long, dark black hair fell loose, touching his shoulders. He proceeded to take out his colored contacts, dropping them as well.

The child-like servant picked up after him, but he paid it no mind.

“You sure took your sweet time,” a sickly-sweet voice floated to Usokawa’s ears. If he was anyone else, it would make his skin crawl. “You do know that electricity was created over a hundred years ago, right.”

“While that may be true, I prefer the ambiance of candles.” The warm and kind voice of Usokawa’s had reverted to a cold, smooth, inflectionless tone. “I was also not expecting company.”

“I arrived a day earlier than expected,” Orochimaru walked up to him, looking him up and down. “And since I was here, I thought I’d stop by.” A pale hand reached out, pulling a strand of Usokawa’s dark hair and curling it around his finger.

“If you don’t remove your hand from my person, Orochimaru-san, you will find it missing from the elbow down,” was the calm reply.

“I can’t help that beautiful things attract me, Itachi-kun,” he chuckled.

Itachi grabbed his wrist, tightening his grip to painful proportions. “The entire left arm will also suffice.”

“I understand. No touching,” Orochimaru said with almost a sulk. Once freed, he did remove his hand. “You really should look into getting a sense of humor, Itachi-kun.”

A derivative snort came from the doorway. “The day he gets a sense of humor, hell would have frozen over.”

“Kisame. Refrain.” Itachi walked past Orochimaru─ who practically jumped out of his way to avoid touching him─ to the tall, blue-tinted skin man standing in the doorway. “We will discuss our arrangements in my office if that’s acceptable to you, Orochimaru-san?”

No matter how Itachi phrased it, it was obviously not an option.

“You don’t even need to ask,” Orochimaru smiled seductively though Itachi couldn’t see. “I’d follow you anywhere.” He looked at the man and child servant, who was still standing silently with his head bowed, rather smugly.

Itachi ignored the comment walking further into the house. “Then let us begin our deal.”


	8. The Mansion

“Let me… just hold on a minute.” Jiraiya rubbed his head, struggling to grasp what his charge was asking of him. “You want to move out… to live with another teenager… and it’s not Gaara-kun or Kiba-kun?”

“It’s not like you’re around much these days,” Naruto replied. He was unable to keep eye contact with his guardian, feeling the guilt of lying to him, something he had never really done to Jiraiya before. Despite the trouble he often caused, Naruto never lied about it and was always forthcoming even if it was illegal. “You have your book promotions and interviews on the mainland. He’s responsible and has a private tutor, so I thought it’d just be easier to move in and study for my exams.”

“What brought this on? I thought you weren’t going to take exams?”

He had told Jiraiya that. All he could really do was tell him what he told the officer. “I got to thinking when I ran away, and I realized I wanted to do something with my life. It’s not like it’ll be easy for me to get into college at this rate.”

Jiraiya couldn’t conceal his frown. Jiraiya had always been very expressive and horrible at keeping his feelings hidden from Naruto. His lack of ability to hide anything always compelled Naruto to tell the truth back, just so they were always on the same playing field. This time was no different, and Naruto knew what he was going to say before he said it. “Still, you would be troubling another family. If you could, I’d rather you just stay here and commute to this person’s house.”

Naruto was not known for acting humble, so when he went into a deep bow, bent at the waist in a near perfect 90-degree angle, it took Jiraiya by surprise. “Jii-chan,” he pleaded humbly. “I need to do this. I’ll still visit and take care of the chores while you’re away, but if I’m going to change, I need to do this.”

Jiraiya sighed, looking down at his manuscript that was spread across the table in what appeared to be a random mess. Carefully, he began to organize the mess, putting the papers in proper stacks. “A man shouldn’t be so quick to bow his head to others,” Jiraiya finally replied. His voice held warmth and understanding, but also sadness. “If it means that much to you, then I can only assume that it’s something you have to do as a man.”

“Thank you.” Being let go from Jiraiya’s guardianship left a bittersweet taste in Naruto’s mouth. He knew that officially, Jiraiya would continue being his guardian until he became a legal adult, but Jiraiya would no longer be heavily involved in his life. Naruto couldn’t afford to let him.

“Who is this boy you’re staying with? The Hyuuga family? The Nara family?”

It was odd how Jiraiya knew who had the highest test scores in his grade. Thinking on it, gossip traveled fast so perhaps it wasn’t so unusual. “No. Uchiha, Sasuke. He’s a transfer student.”

“Uchiha?” Jiraiya’s frowned increased, his brow furrowing along with it. “Isn’t he that model who appeared on that camera commercial?”

Was he? Naruto really didn’t watch much TV so he couldn’t say for sure if it had been Uchiha or not. “He is a model, but I don’t know about a commercial,” he replied honestly.

Jiraiya stopped fiddling with his papers, pausing unnaturally and awkwardly. “Well…since it’s going to be your last night here, why don’t I treat you to dinner. You’re still looking a bit pale.”

Unable to turn down the offer, Naruto sat down at the kitchen table, Jiraiya had been working at, picking up a red pen in the process.

He turned kind eyes onto his guardian, unsure of when he’ll be able to see him again. With a soft and gentle tone, he said, “whatever you want, Jii-chan.”

* * *

The wig Itachi had used had exquisite craftsmanship, Orochimaru thought as he examined it in his hands. If he hadn’t known any better, he would have thought it was real. Though it did no justice to Itachi’s complexion and facial structure, it was an interesting sight.

Itachi was what Orochimaru would call your stereotypical vampire. The type you’d think of when it came to modern day novels. He was powerful, beautiful, and held a charm that was hypnotic when he wanted it to be. But if you asked Orochimaru, besides the man’s face, the real charm lied with his lethal nature. The true beauty of a vampire, no immortal, was the duality of its nature. It was dead. It was alive. It took life to sustain life.

It was that balance that drew Orochimaru to his research on immortals. Out of all the creatures he knew existed, it was immortals that stood out to him, that caught his eye and attention. It didn’t matter what age, gender, or form beauty took, once he deemed something beautiful, he had the urge to dissect it, analyze it, and ultimately destroy it in his search to obtain it for himself.

“You really should tell me where you buy your costumes. They’re made to perfection.” With a flick of his wrist, he tossed the wig aside watching it with a small sadistic grin when it landed on the raven, which cawed irately at him from its perch.

“If you came to waste my time, Orochimaru-san─” Itachi started but was interrupted with a wave of Orochimaru’s hand.

“I would hardly travel all the way here just to bother you again. I did that yesterday.”

Itachi’s face did not seem to find amusement in Orochimaru’s play, his gaze as piercing as before.

“Yesterday, I did not have the product since I arrived early. I came today because they have arrived.” With a snap of his fingers, Kabuto came in carrying a metal briefcase. With the care of someone treating the briefcase as the most fragile piece of glass, Kabuto placed the briefcase down on the coffee table without a single sound.

“It is a prototype, but it is delivered as promised,” Orochimaru said finally sitting down in an armchair across from Itachi.

Orochimaru watched with amusement as Itachi opened the case, inspecting the contents. As usual, whatever Itachi was thinking of was concealed behind his perfect mask. He liked to imagine though that there was greed in those eyes or excitement. The contents were one of a kind after all. Not that Orochimaru gave his client the most recent version of the product. That he saved for himself.

Itachi closed the case and handed it to the small child servant who always managed to morph out of Orochimaru’s peripheral vision. Orochimaru may not have been an immortal, but he prided himself on his sensory abilities as well. That kid was one of three who always managed to sneak up on him. The second being Uchiha, Itachi.

“Have the contents analyzed,” the immortal told his servant. The servant nodded, running off with the case immediately.

“Don’t you trust me Uchiha-kun?” Orochimaru teased with a playful smile.

“No,” he replied without hesitation, leaning forward to pick up his teacup. “I would not put it past you to contaminate the contents or give me a fake, and only a fool would blindly accept what he is given.”

“Should I take it as an insult or a compliment that you would think I would try to outsmart you?” Orochimaru’s playful gaze turned predatory. “Of course, I do expect my payment.”

“Half of the sum is wired to the specified account. When the contents are confirmed, I will wire the other half in exactly 12 hours from now.”

“Of course. Fair is only fair.” He knew Itachi would be thorough in checking the product. It was the only reason he hadn’t contaminated the contents as Itachi had speculated. It was a shame. He would have loved to have gotten one up on the immortal and turn him into his new test subject.

Pulling out his phone, he logged in to confirm the transfer was complete. As he waited for the information to pull up, he asked, “You were in Konoha weren’t you? How were my old comrades?”

“Complacent,” Itachi took a sip of tea. “Their security was easy to breach. Peace has weakened them.”

“The same could be said about immortals,” Orochimaru mused. “But I’m sure you’ll fix that. Perhaps with another war?”

Orochimaru did not think he was too far off the mark with his guess, but Itachi didn’t give any indication that he was even paying attention to Orochimaru as he continued to drink his tea. Itachi would neither confirm nor deny Orochimaru’s hypothesis. While others would take his silence as confirmation, with Itachi it could very well be a red herring.

Itachi continued to ignore his presence, finishing his tea in silence as Orochimaru watched him with critical eyes. The immortal showed no signs of discomfort under the scrutiny, picking up an old-fashioned tobacco smoking pipe, hand carved with a beautiful lacquer finish. Orochimaru had to admit that he had never seen anyone use such an antique piece to smoke, and the curiosity about Itachi’s true age tickled at the back of his mind.

“If your business is concluded Orochimaru-san, you are dismissed.” The casual dismissal irked Orochimaru. While Itachi always spoke with a level of politeness, there was no mistaking the superiority he claimed over those around him. To Itachi, Orochimaru was nothing but a pawn or subordinate to use as he pleased.

“It’s a shame that cute face doesn’t have a more pleasant personality. Or any personality really.” Standing, Orochimaru prepared to take his leave. “But remember this, Itachi-kun,” the name came out as a purr. “I am going to be the hunter in this game. You will be mine one day.”

Itachi didn’t even bother to look at him, focusing on packing his pipe with tobacco and lighting it. “The hunter will always one day become the hunted, and when that day comes, I will be there to watch.”

Orochimaru considered himself patient to a degree; however, Itachi had well exceeded his tolerance for the day. “Then farewell, Itachi-kun. Pleasure doing business with you.” With anger rolling underneath the surface, his farewell felt less than sincere. He didn’t wait for the immortal to give his own parting words, leaving with a mindful of ways to somehow get the arrogant Uchiha underneath his thumb.

* * *

Naruto stood in front of the Uchiha Manor. Now that he could see it during the day, he wondered how he ever thought it was abandoned. It had a nice fresh coat of white paint, and the yard was obviously well cared for and maintained. He could even see a pair of cars peeking out from behind the corner of the house.

Shifting the bag he had on his back, he lifted his hand, hesitated for a couple of seconds, then knocked.

As he waited, doubts seeped into Naruto’s thoughts about whether this was a good idea. The alarming rate at which he was being pulled along by Uchiha scared him, and the fact that Naruto was kind of letting him was even more cause for concern.

Naruto took an uncertain step back. Perhaps he should think about it more.

Just as he was about to retreat, the front doors opened. Tobi stood, dressed in a butler’s uniform with a giant grin on his face. “Uzumaki-kun! I’m so happy you were able to come!”

“Yeah, I guess I did,” Naruto returned the smile if just a tiny bit reserved.

Tobi, the cheerful man he was, urged him inside enthusiastically. “Come in. Come in. Allow me to show you around.”

Naruto couldn’t help but think that Tobi’s timing had been unfortunate. A few seconds longer, Naruto would have been able to retreat, but the butler’s enthusiasm was contagious and Naruto was genuinely smiling at Tobi and his hospitality. It was a nice change of pace for a stranger to treat him so kindly.

The foyer came into view when he walked in. The unlit candles were still in their spots, unneeded as the sunlight drifted into the room through the many windows. The suit of armor was still standing tall and proud, looking even more magnificent now that Naruto could see it. It was well polished, but signs of previous usage still lingered.

He was also able to see further into the house. It turned out the doors off to the right of the foyer led to a sitting room. Inside was an antique couch with a large red-brown stain, marring the patterned design of the cushion.

Tobi caught Naruto’s stare, answering his unspoken question. “Trespassers. The young master had caught them vandalizing his property. It had been quite some time since he had last eaten, so he may have been a bit careless and left a mess in his wake. The struggle didn’t help either.”

Naruto’s face turned a bit pale hearing that, remembering that Uchiha was likely the one who had murdered the previous trespassers who had dared to enter before him. That could have been him.

“Do not worry, Uzumaki-kun. You are safe here, anyone who has an invitation is; however, even the young master and I have to eat.” Realization crossed Tobi’s face, and without warning, he was bowing his head. “I am so sorry! Please forgive my rudeness for acting so familiar. I should be addressing you as Uzumaki-sama.”

“Um…san is just fine,” Naruto replied awkwardly. Seeing a grown man bow to him and address him so formally honestly made him uncomfortable. “Don’t worry too much about it.”

“I couldn’t possibly, Uzumaki-sama. I must represent the Uchiha household properly.” Tobi straightened his back with determination and conviction in his eyes. “Please allow me to show you to your room. Then I’ll give you a tour of the mansion.”

“Sounds good.”

Before the last syllable had left Naruto’s lips, Naruto felt a soft wind, and Tobi had disappeared, reappearing at the top of the stairs.

Still unused to this, Naruto took a moment to grasp the situation and run after his supposed guide, taking the steps two at a time. “Wait! Slow down!” By the time he had reached the landing, Tobi had already disappeared somewhere down the hallway.

Seeing light coming from one of the rooms toward the end, Naruto decided to check that one first. The door was ajar, so he pushed it the rest of the way open.

Tobi opened the curtains, letting sunlight flood into the room, illuminating its extravagant features. Naruto’s room at home was small. It was large enough to fit his twin bed, desk, and a small bookshelf. It had been enough for him as it served its purpose of giving him a place to sleep.

This room was far beyond a simple room. The windows nearly covered the entire wall, also doubling as an entrance to the balcony that was connected that overlooked the courtyard below. A wooden desk, complete with a desktop computer, was placed in front of one of the windows in the corner. A four-poster bed, complete with red curtains that he could draw closed if he wanted, with the fluffiest pillows he had ever seen, was situated on raised flooring, drawing the eye as the main feature of the room. Lastly, a door was cracked open on the opposite end of the room, giving Naruto a small glimpse of the bathroom that promised just as much luxury and extravagance as the room it was connected to.

Speechless, Naruto could only stare in a daze, having a hard time believing a room this big could be only for him. He finally snapped out of it when his bag slipped off his shoulder.

“I apologize for its appearance. We don’t normally have guests. We didn’t have time to prepare and furnish one of the larger rooms.” The butler’s voice carried deep regret as if he had failed horribly in some way. “If you are upset with the current arrangements, I’ll make sure to make it my top priority to correct it.”

“No!” Naruto’s frantic objection startled Tobi as much as Naruto himself. He really didn’t think he could handle anything more than this. “I wouldn’t want to trouble you. This room is just fine.”

“Very well, Uzumaki-sama; however,” Tobi’s face turned to one of concern, “Is that all you brought with you?”

The small backpack that Naruto brought was only big enough to fit maybe three sets of clothes. Truthfully, what did one bring when moving in with a vampire? He had mulled it over all night. At first, he had packed nearly two suitcases worth, filling it with clothes, games, photos, a lot of unnecessities. He hadn’t known what to expect. As morning drew closer, he realized that everything he packed would be useless. All he really needed was a few sets of clothes and basic toiletries. If he had forgotten something, he could just go home and pick it up. In the end, he decided to pack light with a single backpack.

“This should be enough. I’ll just wash my clothes more often.”

Tobi titled his head slightly in thought. “Even with one PE uniform and one winter uniform, will one set of clothing be enough? And what about your school books?”

Naruto blinked slowly then proceeded to facepalm and letting out one long curse. How could he have forgotten about school? Even in his original packing, he hadn’t thought about school.

Rather than be annoyed or amused at Naruto’s blatant unprepared packing, Tobi took Naruto’s bag with his usually big smile. “Don’t worry, Uzumaki-sama. The young master’s uniforms should fit you with a few small alterations. And you can borrow the young master’s schoolbooks. He rarely uses them.”

“Right, he’s probably been through school lots of time, right? I bet his grades are freaking perfect.”

Amusement danced in Tobi’s eyes at Naruto’s words, though Naruto couldn’t understand why. Who knew how many lives Uchiha had lived. It would only make sense that he’d have been through school multiple times too. “Shall we have that tour of the house now?”

“Uh, sure.”

Tobi, as Naruto soon came to realize, really liked to talk. Every piece of furniture had a history, every person in a painting had a backstory, and Naruto, the unlucky person that he was, was the target for all the unwanted lessons, especially since most of the backstories involved a violent death in one way or another.

Naruto didn’t want to be rude; he was a guest after all, but it was getting to be a bit much and the stories were making him uncomfortable. It was becoming enough of a pain that Naruto was on the brink of just telling Tobi to just shut his mouth and let him tour the house on his own. The only thing holding him back was the kindness that Tobi had shown him previously, yet Naruto was beginning to think maybe this was another form of punishment being inflicted on him by the butler.

Tobi’s inanely slow-paced tour aside, the house was quite interesting. Besides Gaara’s home at the embassy─ which Naruto was barely allowed to enter let alone tour─ Naruto had never entered any of the mansions on the island, especially old ones like this. It was enough to intrigue him and drown out Tobi’s constant rambling.

“And here is the young master’s study, connected to the family portrait room. In 1857, the owner─ oh! Young master! I wasn’t aware that you were working in here. Forgive my interruption.” Tobi of course bowed as a sign of his apology, while Naruto stood examining the room with a bored expression.

Naruto’s eyes wandered until they finally landed on the occupant of the room. His eyebrows shot up in surprise. “You wear glasses?”

At first, Uchiha looked confused, raising an eyebrow at the statement before realization crossed his features. Closing his laptop while simultaneously taking off his thin, round-rimmed glasses, he said in a most off-handed way, “Old habit.”

It piqued Naruto’s interest. When Uchiha had removed the glasses, he realized there was no glass within the frame, and as it was placed on the desk, Naruto realized the age and wear on the item.

“I assume you were giving a tour then?”

“Yes, sir.”

Rising from his desk, the movement drew the eye. Naruto had known this man only a few days, yet his not quite human movement still was the most unsettling thing about him. Not the strength or the conscious reminder that he killed people to eat. It was movement that could be predatory as well as bewitching.

“You are dismissed, Tobi. I will assume control from here on.” It was another odd slip into an outdated speech pattern and reminded Naruto of the first night they had met. Now in the light, it changed Uchiha’s appearance. The high school immaturity, from the way he spoke and carried himself, melted into a young aristocrat, full of confidence and authority.

“Yes sir. Then I will be taking my leave.” Tobi left without another word.

Uchiha turned his attention to Naruto. “If I know Tobi, he took it upon himself to give you an extensive history of the mansion.”

“Extensive would be putting it lightly. Does he always talk that much?”

“Unfortunately. I would have fired him if I didn’t need him.”

It was only a little, but aggravation tainted his words, hitting a sore spot in Naruto. “That’s going a bit far don’t you think? You’re not a joy to be around either.”

Naruto braced for a retort, but none came. There was a brief sense of fury coming off the vampire that was contained quickly behind a calm mask. “The only truly interesting room in this house is the portrait room,” Uchiha said, voice carefully level. “As it is connected to my office, it will be off-limits after today.”

He walked around the desk to a concealed door blended into the wall. With a soft press, the door swung open, revealing another room. The room was large and circular. Two stories high, the room was filled with nothing but portraits.

Uchiha stepped in first, followed by Naruto.

Unlike Tobi’s tour, Uchiha remained silent. He would walk up to one picture, stare at it for a short while, then move on to the next one.

All the portraits were hand-painted, some were in better shape than others, some ancient, some more modern. There was only one portrait that was a photograph, black and white. It consisted of 4 people: a young woman, a young man, and two boys, who took after their father with dark hair and eyes and could pass for younger versions of the head of the family.

The father sat in the center of the photo with his legs crossed and hands folded nicely in his lap. His stern expression was enough to tell anyone that he found nothing funny or amusing around him.

His wife on the other hand, who stood to the right of him, had her hand place lovingly on his shoulder. She had a gentle face, one that looked like smiling was all she ever capable of, her eyes glancing down at the smallest of the two boys.

The youngest son was tugging on his mother’s sleeve, standing extremely close with his face slightly turned towards her. You could tell he was slightly unhappy as any 4 or 5-year-old would be at being forced to stand still for so long.

The second son was 6 or 7 years older. He stood to the left of his father. Like his mother, he had a softness to him that made him seem approachable. He had his own subtle smile. His smile was more business-like, but it gave the impression that it was to hide a more shy and reserved personality underneath. Besides the father, they looked to be a happy family.

The youngest son drew Naruto’s eye. There couldn’t be a mistake on who it was. Clumsily, he tried to sneak a peek at Uchiha to compare the two.

Uchiha greeted his eyes, walking up beside him before looking at the photograph as well. “That picture was taken in 1873. Quite some time has passed, but it feels as if it was only months ago.”

“Did they become like you?” Naruto asked.

A grim expression ghosted over Uchiha’s face. Uchiha never looked away from the photo, his gaze lingering on the photo as someone would an accident. Something tragic and hideous, but unable to look away because a part of the mind just could not comprehend what it was seeing.

“’ _Whether ‘tis nobler in the mind to suffer the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune, or to take arms against a sea of troubles, and by opposing end them? To die: to sleep; no more’…”_ Uchiha spoke with a soft, murmur, eyes glazed over with heavy thoughts, unseeing to the world around him. The English was spoken perfectly with a British accent as he quoted the line Naruto could not understand.

Naruto could not bring himself to ask for the meaning. The air around Uchiha had become suffocating at the simple question he had asked. Loss was something Naruto could relate to, but he could not extend his hand to comfort him when Naruto had yet to deal with his own.

Uchiha snapped himself out of his trance, looking away from the photo. “To answer your question,” he said, his voice back to being indifferent and lacking the vulnerability that had interwoven into his speech from his quote. “They were murdered.”

“I believe that concludes the tour,” Uchiha’s posture was stiff; otherwise, he acted perfectly fine, pretending he had not just had a moment of weakness. “I have work to attend to, so I’ll be taking my leave. You may stay, but do not take an obscene amount of time.”

Uchiha’s old speech grew more pronounced, ill-suited for the face it was coming from. The distance that had closed between them on the roof the day before had disappeared, making Naruto feel that he was back at square one. He knew nothing about the vampire he had decided to live with.

Observing the picture again, the events that had just occurred replayed in his head.

  1. He was younger than Naruto had suspected. Comparatively, he was still several times his age, but that photograph was proof that Uchiha had once been a child just as Naruto had been. A child that clung to his mother and had an innocent face. He had been human once upon a time.



Everyone had a past they rather not recall. Uchiha really wasn’t any different. Naruto had sensed a loneliness in him that matched his own.

Was Uchiha a human with monster-like abilities or a monster wearing human skin? Uchiha was indifferent about death, but he needed death to survive. Would Naruto become like that too one day?

Breathing out forcefully, the conclusion eluded him. Only time would be able to tell him. For now, he was going to get some sleep and think of a way to get out of his payment deal with Uchiha.


	9. Dreams

Drip…. Drip………Drip. Drip

The sound of dripping water from the leaky faucet echoed throughout the room with maddening inconsistency. That was the only sound. That was ever the only sound besides the ones he decided to make himself. The slightest shift was deafening in comparison. There wasn’t even the humming of lights or the sound of the running air conditioner. Just darkness and that maddening dripping sound.

Was it punishment? Had he done something wrong? They would hurt him. Make him like this. How much longer did he have to be punished. How long did he have to live like this not knowing why?

He was afraid of the dark.

The small blond boy, half-buried under the white blankets, curled further into himself, holding his knees to his chest. The movement caused the chain around his leg to move. The cuff dug into his already tender and fragile skin, causing his ankle to bleed once more. A soft pained whimper left his lips.

Then the smell of blood reached his nose.

His teeth ached, and his eyes burned. A growl started low in his chest that steadily rose in volume, his thoughts becoming cloudy.

The sound of the door opened, the squeaking sound deafening to the young boy’s ears, causing his irritability to peak. The blanket was thrown off, revealing the red eyes of an animal, baring his fangs and snarling in the direction of the sound.

The lights turned on, blinding the child for a second, his sensitive eyesight unable to adjust so quickly to the change of brightness, but it was enough to lose sight of his prey and delay his attack. It was enough time for the man at the door to aim his gun and shoot him.

Within seconds, the world around the boy became blurry. Although the man approached, the boy could not make out his face. Disoriented and weak, the child collapsed onto his futon, eyes half-lidded.

The sound of the man’s approach and rustling paper made the boy think that perhaps there was a second person and the first one had left. The one that usually beat him had gone.

“Looks like today’s your birthday, huh little monster.” The man said with disgust. “Don’t expect any presents though.” The boy’s arm was grabbed in the man’s much large hand.

The boy felt the familiar prick of a needle. However, his drowsiness and weakness were quickly subsiding.

“I’m just here for some blood samples. Be good and we can both get this over with quickly.”

Perhaps it was because the man was in a hurry, he hadn’t realized the thrown blanket was to cover the broken chain, but his lack of carelessness cost him dearly.

Snapping his eyes open, the boy jumped forward, biting into the man’s arm with his sharp fangs.

The man screamed in pain, yanking his arm back instinctively, allowing the child to rip off a chunk of his forearm.

The child spat the man’s flesh back at him and scrambled to the still opened door, running as fast as he could, shouldering past the guard who had been standing by, shoving him to the ground. Not long after, the alarms blared around him.

He just had to run to the door at the end of the hallway, but the hallway stretched on, becoming further and further out of his reach. Just a little farther. Just a little farther.

* * *

An explosion went off.

The child fell into the snow with the heat of the roaring flames burning at his back. He scrambled to his feet only to fall again, pain consuming his entire body from his various injuries. His burned back. His bleeding head. His twisted ankle.

He was in so much pain, but he could not cry. He had to get out. He had to—

He fell into a warm and familiar embrace. His head rested on a soft chest and a rapid heartbeat. Feeling the warmth and safety of those arms, he knew he had made it. He was finally safe. He cried. He cried in pain. He cried in relief. Tears cascaded down his face in streams. He had been so scared. So lonely.

There were three people whose faces he knew but could not place as the woman who held him picked him up into her arms. Her heartbeat drowned out the fear in his veins that was still suffocating his small body. There were voices were distant, and they blurred together into a jumbled mess. The boy could not tell whose voice belonged to who, but the boy did not care. They had come for him.

“We have to get…”

“What…others.”

“He…danger…leave first.”

“Minato…don’t…stupid!”

Another explosion shook the ground beneath them, but the three adults did not slow nor stumble.

The child peeked out from the safety of the woman’s bosom. In the distance, there was a van where a small red-headed child, unconscious, was being thrown into the back. Seeing the red-headed boy, the child began to struggle against the woman’s hold, reaching out. He could not find the words to speak. They were lost in his throat, but still, he tried to reach for him though the child was so far away.

By the time the woman turned to look, the people were getting into the van and driving away. They were gone.

He hid his face back into her chest, not wanting to see the world any longer. He just wanted to go home.

* * *

Why? They were heading home. So why did this happen? 

The child sat in the snow, the white stained with red. Not from him, another’s blood. 

Smoke rose above the trees and the flames brightened the night sky in the distance, but none of that mattered. The coldness seeped into his exposed legs. He could hardly feel them; however, it wasn’t the cold that took away his ability to move.

People were laid out around him, bleeding heavily. Two were barely breathing. One was violently coughing up blood. The boy glanced at the injured man coughing, but the sight of him was the least of the boy’s concerns.

Standing not too far away was another man. He was the source of all this. His long, messy black hair covering much of his face. Through the entanglement of hair, a single red and black eye shone, staring right back at him.

In his mouth, the man had his long fangs lodged into the neck of another young man, who grew paler by the second as he struggled futilely. When his movements ceased, the dead man dropped a kodachi, its blade sinking into the ground.

It was a few seconds more before the killer released him, licking his lips off the blood that stained them. The killer had watched the child the entire time, yet when he finished harming everyone around him, he closed his eyes, turned his back, and started walking away.

Fear was consuming the child. His legs refused to move, but the killer was getting farther and farther away. That man had ruined everything. It was his fault.

Scrapping together courage he didn’t really have, he forced his numb legs to move, putting his feet underneath him. He roared, running forward, yanking the kodachi from the ground that was still heavy for his small frame. Yelling was all he could do. If he stayed silent, he wouldn’t have the strength to go forward.

But what could a child do that three adults could not? He was slow, his yell gave away any chance of a surprise attack, and he was weak.

The killer just turned, grabbing the blade between his thumb and index finger, stopping the attack before it could follow completely through. The killer was amused by his antics, a small smile carved onto his face. Rather than kill the child, he picked the boy up by his neck.

He squeezed the boy’s neck lightly, enough to cause pain but not enough to block his air. With fluid movements, leaned forward, whispering something into the child’s ear.

His voice brought chills down the child’s spine, and his words extinguished the fire the child had struggled to build. With little strength in his fingers, the killer snapped the blade between his fingers.

The killer released the boy, who fell to the ground on his wounded leg, causing the boy to cry out softly. There was nothing he could do except watch the murderer walk away.

Dispirited and broken, the boy turned his eyes to the man the killer had been feeding on. The man’s eyes were glassy, and he did not look to be moving.

A new set of tears flooded the boy’s eyes, but it did not stop him from looking around. There was a piece of splintered wood from a shattered tree nearby.

He picked up the piece of wood, staring at it in his hand with a numbness he could not explain. He didn’t have the strength.

His eyes shining red, his body moved on its own, forcing his battered and beaten body to go to the man’s side. Raising the piece of wood over his head, his hands steady as if they were not his own, he brought the sharp piece down, piercing the center of the man’s chest.

* * *

Naruto shot up in his bed, his clothes drenched in sweat. It was pitch black. Why was it so dark?

Though he was panting it felt like he wasn’t breathing at all. His eyes and limbs searched frantically though he didn’t know what he was looking for. God, why was it so dark and why was something wrapped around his legs.

His arms flung widely until someone caught them, forcing them down to Naruto’s side. Naruto’s frantic mind did not register that the light had come on and someone was sitting on the bed next to him, keeping him from flailing and telling him, in a soothing voice, to breathe.

Naruto’s eyes locked onto Uchiha’s, grabbing onto the lifeboat that presented itself. Slowly, Naruto’s breathing came under control, his shivering stopped, and the panic subsided into fatigue. A bit disoriented, he recalled that he was no longer in Jiraiya’s house, but Uchiha’s. Glancing at the clock, Naruto realized it was only 3:30 in the morning.

When it was clear that Naruto had regained control, Uchiha released his arms. He wore no shirt, only a pair of black silk pajama pants. He folded his arms, leaning back with that annoying condescending attitude Naruto was getting used to. “Are you always so loud at night? Some of us are trying to sleep.”

“Shove it, asshole.” Naruto’s response was weak, lacking the energy. His mind was still racing, trying to reorient itself. His hand ran through his hair, sleep far from his mind. “I’m fine, so you can go back to sleep.”

Uchiha stood, pulling the blankets that had tangled around Naruto’s legs free. “Follow me.”

Naruto didn’t want to follow him. He was tired and still shaken, and Uchiha’s attitude wasn’t helping either. Common sense and reluctant courtesy won out, and Naruto dragged himself out of bed, cursing at the cold wooden floors that greeted his feet.

The house was dark. The curtains that had been drawn in the day were now closed, blocking any of the outside light, leaving a candle here and there to light the corridor.

Uchiha walked slow enough that even with the short delay between, when he had left and when Naruto got out of bed, Naruto was able to quickly catch up and stayed within Naruto’s short-range of sight.

Naruto followed, staying near, close enough to step on Uchiha’s heels. The dark still unsettled him. He didn’t want to admit it, but the lingering fear won out over his pride. He thought Uchiha would laugh at him or taunt him for his behavior, no different from a frightened child, yet the vampire hadn’t turned around or offered another cruel taunt as he had done earlier.

Down the stairs and towards the back of the house, a light illuminated the end of the hall from the kitchen.

Naruto had seen the kitchen during his tour with Tobi the day before. In truth, by the time they had reached this room, Naruto had zoned out and paid little attention. After all, a kitchen was a kitchen. Well he was partially right. He had never seen a double oven and the 6-range stove was something he had only seen in movies. It was a full-size kitchen with anything a chef could ask for. Strange considering neither of the mansion’s occupants ate traditional food.

In the attached sunroom, there was a round table that seated four. “Sit.”

Still compliant, Naruto took a seat. “What’d you bring me down here for?”

Uchiha didn’t sit with him, instead fiddling with something on a counter. There was the soft clinking of dishes as well as the sound of pouring and stirring. After a minute or two, he brought a steaming cup and placed it in front of Naruto. “Drink.”

Eying the cup with suspicion, he asked, “what is it?”

“Green tea. Do your eyes not work?”

Scowling, Naruto picked up the cup, taking a whiff. It did smell like green tea, but there was something off. As to not burn his tongue, he carefully took a small sip.

The moment it touched his tongue he immediately spitted it back into the cup. It was way too strong. Not only that but there was too much sugar that turned it gritty and, if Naruto wasn’t mistaken, honey in it too. “Ugh! Are you trying to poison me!”

Uchiha rested his cheek on his fist while his other hand grabbed the cup from him. Without hesitation, he took a sip, his face not changing when he swallowed. Placing the cup down, he stared at the liquid. “Is it that bad?”

At first, Naruto thought he was being sarcastic, but the look of pure curiosity squashed that assumption. “Can’t you taste it?”

Uchiha stared at the cup. “No. I can’t.” Uchiha moved to get up, presumably to throw out the cup. Naruto reached out, snatching the cup back. Tea sloshed onto the table.

“I thought you hated it.”

“Well you took the time to make it,” Naruto murmured under his breath and looking away. He sounded so reluctant as if Uchiha was forcing him to drink it.

“If you’re going to be like that. Just throw it out. It’s just tea.” Uchiha reached for the cup, but Naruto pulled it back yet again.

“If I say I’m going to drink it, I’m going to drink it, bastard.” To prove his point, he took two big gulps of the tea, forcing his gag reflex into submission through sheer will power.

A soft chuckle came from Uchiha, sitting back down across from him. “And here I thought you couldn’t get any more stupid.”

Silence fell over them. Naruto didn’t drink from the cup again, but the warmth from the cup brought comfort, soothing his frayed nerves.

“Do you want to talk about it?”

Naruto didn’t have to ask what “it” was. With a bitter smile, he slouched in his chair. “I wouldn’t be able to tell you. I can’t remember it after waking up. Never do. Besides, you probably wouldn’t want to listen about it anyway.”

“You right. I wouldn’t,” Uchiha smirked. “Because it was probably about me anyway.”

Naruto laughed. “Wow. You really are a vain bastard.”

“Takes one to know one.”

“Really? That’s the best you got?”

“I wouldn’t want to overheat your simple brain. After all, monkeys should be treated well too.”

Naruto laughed. He truly laughed from the deepest part of his stomach. It wasn’t that funny. He knew that. Really, it was an insult, and laughing like a madman probably only confirmed the comment, but Naruto didn’t care.

When he was younger, he would wake up like that almost every night. He was terrified to even go to sleep at night. As he aged, it happened less and less until it was almost nonexistent. He never remembered, but the feelings during the dream had always lingered.

For the first time, he was able to laugh. Uchiha hadn’t acted cautiously with him. He didn’t pry or act like he was going to break. He didn’t cling or try to distance himself from Naruto either. He treated him like usual with the only special treatment being a cup of tea and his nearby presence.

His laughter died, and he took another sip of tea, forgetting its bad taste until it was too late. Unprepared, he spat it out again, watching Uchiha’s eyebrow go up condescendingly. Chuckling this time, he put the cup down. “This really is terrible.”

Uchiha moved to take the cup back again, and again, Naruto moved it out of his reach, taking another sip.

“Idiot.”

“Bastard,” Naruto replied.

The discomfort and terror from the nightmare became a side note rather than occupying his every thought and action. Even as the conversation and lazily thrown insults continued until the sun began to rise, Naruto felt that for once, he was in control. The dreams did not and would no longer control him.

* * *

“Alright, everyone! Last announcements before you go onto your lunch break,” the Japanese literature teacher, Umino, Iruka, announced over the sounds of the restless students.

“Midterms is in two weeks. Makes sure you study for the upcoming exams. Secondly, the national exam is quickly approaching as well as the college exams. This is a critical time for you. Make sure you focus on studying as much as you can but take good care of yourself as well. If you have worries and concerns about your future, please come to the faculty room. Uzumaki-kun, come see me. Everyone else dismissed.”

“Hey, man. Whatever it is, I’m sure it’s nothing,” Kiba whispered, already taking out his bento box from his desk.

“Thanks for the concern,” Naruto murmured, noting the beautiful lunch Kiba always got to eat. His sister was an amazing cook. Naruto was a tad bit jealous that Kiba was able to get such artful and delicious lunches every day. Jiraiya could barely boil water.

His stomach growled as he stood, unhappy with the lack of breakfast he had that morning. Tobi had yet to go shopping for food, too busy altering the clothes for him.

With a slow and reluctant walk, Naruto went to see his teacher.

It was all a show. Inside, giddiness filled Naruto to the point he could barely contain his excitement. He loved talking to Iruka, and he loved his lessons even more. As Naruto approached, Iruka gave him a smile, something no other teacher in the school did. Iruka was kind and thoughtful. He had even stood up for Naruto on more than one occasion.

Iruka was on the shorter side and a relatively new teacher, gaining his official teaching license two years ago. Even with his young age, he was one of the stricter teachers and most unforgiving for nonsense, but he took the time to analyze a person’s strengths and weaknesses, so he could help them. More often than not, Naruto wished he was their homeroom teacher rather than Hatake.

“Uzumaki-kun, I’m more than happy to return your writing assignment to you personally.” Iruka handed Naruto a stack of papers, much thicker than any of Naruto’s classmates. “Full marks as always.”

Naruto lips twitched into the beginnings of a smile but worked hard to keep it from showing. “Thank you, Iruka-sensei.”

“You should be proud of yourself. I always look forward to your assignments. You have proven to have a mastery over the written word. I wish you would submit something in the national young author’s competition. It’s not too late.”

“You praise me too much, Iruka-sensei. This is just something I like to do when I’m bored.”

Iruka frowned. “Uzumaki-kun, if you put in a bit more effort into your studies as you do for Japanese and English, you could have been in the top ranks of your class.”

“No offense, Sensei, but even if I put in the effort, it wouldn’t matter. Just say my name and everyone goes running,” he joked.

Iruka’s eyes saddened at his words.

He really was a good man, Naruto thought. Feeling guilty for putting that expression on the man’s face, he smiled and said lightheartedly, “Don’t worry about it too much, Sensei. If you want, I’ll keep writing for you, even after I graduate.”

With a fond smile, Iruka shook his head. “Go eat lunch, Uzumaki-kun. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

Clutching the report, Naruto returned to his desk, stuffing it inside.

“Another bad grade?” Kiba asked, using his chopsticks to point at his desk, rocking back and forth on his chair’s hind legs.

“Nothing new,” Naruto shrugged. “What’d you get?”

“51. Just above failing as always.” Kiba’s eyes flitted to Uchiha’s direction. “Speaking of which. There’s something I want to talk to you about.”

The next thing, Kiba knew, the legs of the chair were swept out from under him, causing him to fall and hit his head on the desk behind him. Giggles filled the classroom as the young man, clutched his head in pain. “Dammit, Gaara!”

“Perhaps it will make you learn to sit properly,” he said, but Gaara’s eyes weren’t fixated on Kiba, but at Hyuuga leaving the room. Without a word, Gaara left his desk, following after him.

Frowning, Naruto was ready to go follow them when his girlfriend blocked his view. “Uzumaki-san.”

What bad timing. “Um, Sakura-chan, can we talk later?” Without trying to seem rude, he tried to look around her, but she persistently blocked his view.

“Uzumaki, are you trying to avoid me? You’ve been acting weird lately,” she crossed her arms in a way that reminded him of his godmother. “I’ve been worried.”

“Look, this is a really bad time, how about after club activities? We can sit down and talk?”

She didn’t seem to want to accept that either, but Naruto gently pushed her out of the way, so he could go after Gaara. He didn’t know why Gaara was following Hyuuga, but there was no way it could be good news. Gaara could be insanely protective of him, and with Hyuuga being the number one offender, he wouldn’t be surprised if Gaara finally snapped.

With it being the lunch hour, there were several students wandering the hallways, complicating his search. All he did know was that it would have to be in a relatively quiet place, narrowing down where they could be.

He searched for nearly the entire period when he found Gaara in the third floor of the East Building. The floor was deserted, lined with clubrooms that would be busy later that day.

Gaara was sitting on the ground with a far off look in his eyes. Looking closer, Naruto noticed that Gaara skin had lost its color, the bags under his eyes were dark and grey, and he lacked energy altogether, his entire body drooping. He looked exhausted.

How had he not noticed this drastic and alarming change in his friend?

Unable to find words, he sat down beside him, unable to figure out what had transpired while he had been searching for him. Gaara didn’t look roughed up. Just depressed. Maybe he hadn’t been following Hyuuga after all.

Though Gaara never said it aloud, Naruto assumed Gaara had a much harder life than he did. There was no obvious evidence of this. As long as he had been Gaara’s friend, there had been a closeness that Naruto couldn’t explain, but also a distance as if Gaara was always hiding something from him.

Over the years, Gaara’s health and mental stability fluctuated, and it was difficult for Gaara to deal with, but because he refused to talk about it, Naruto could do nothing but be there to support him and make his life a bit easier when he could.

“How about we ditch class and go to that café by the ferry? I heard they have a new desert,” Naruto offered. “I’ll pay.”

Gaara had an insatiable sweet tooth and never said no to desserts, but he declined, shaking his head listlessly. With weak movements, Gaara stood, walking away.

* * *

Gaara didn’t go back to class for the rest of the day; Naruto couldn’t blame him.

Still, after the final class bell rang, while his fellow classmates stayed after for activities or prepared to go to cram school, Naruto took the bus to the other side of the island.

The bakery/café that Naruto had talked about was nearby Gaara’s home, so he spent the hour to get there and ordered a cake for his friend. One with lots of strawberries. They would deliver it as soon as it was ready.

It cost him quite a bit of his limited allowance, but he hoped it would make Gaara feel just a little bit better.

Uchiha wasn’t happy that he went off on his own.

A message was waiting for him when he got back, saying that due to skipping out on his payment, he owed double. With a cringe, Naruto went up to his bedroom, intending to avoid Uchiha and that collection of payment as long as he could.

The discomfort of being given such a large personal space still pestered Naruto─ if not as much as the previous day had. However, he was a bit giddy at his first computer. With childlike eagerness, he was ready to play around with it. Jiraiya owned the only computer in his household, and Jiraiya protected that better than any dirty magazine.

Throwing his school bag onto the bed, he sat down and started up the computer. There were a lot of things he wanted to try out. Websites that had been recommended, games that Kiba told him to buy, porn sites… well honestly, he wasn’t that interested in the last one. With Jiraiya’s work, Naruto lost interest in the thought before he reached puberty.

He pulled up the home webpage when the headline news banner caught his eye. Seeing the name involved, he hurriedly clicked on the link, hoping his eyes were playing tricks on him.

** Small Town Cop Found Dead **

_Early this morning, a runner went for his daily exercise only to come across a strange sight. Crows had gathered to eat what appeared to be roadkill in the middle of the forest. Upon closer inspection, however, it turned out not to be roadkill, but a dismembered body._

_The police on the scene uncovered the identity of the victim within minutes. A badge and ID were found on the victim. The victim’s name, Sarutobi, Asuma, a police officer from the small island of Konoha off the mainland of Kyushu._

_Sarutobi was head police chief and beloved by many of his coworkers. He had been missing for the past three days and officers had launched an investigation yesterday about his disappearance. They were startled to discover their boss had met with such a terrible fate._

_Sarutobi had been working on the case of another murder, an unidentified victim who had died a few days prior to his death. Investigators believe he was closing in on the suspect when the suspect managed to catch Officer Sarutobi unaware._

_The suspect’s name Sarutobi had been investigating is Orochimaru. Orochimaru yogisha was charged with child kidnappings and illegal experimentations nearly 12 years ago. Before his trial, however, the prison that held him caught on fire, destroying over half the cell block. It was recorded that Yashiro yogisha died in that fire before they could evacuate him. A body was never found._

Naruto couldn’t read anymore. His eyes just glazed over the rest of the article. Asuma was dead. That oji-san was really dead. His hand twitched, crushing the mouse in the palm of his hand.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know this is a rewrite, but please leave comments with your thoughts.


	10. Chapter 10

If there was one thing Orochimaru did not like, it was the mindless, uneducated masses. Humanity, in his opinion, had become complacent, relying on the select few to advance their research and technology while reaping the benefits for themselves. Closed-minded, the masses often mocked or rejected anything that did not fit into their perfect world until it benefitted them in some way. Claiming to want change, they were often stagnant in their ways, not truly wanting to progress into something more. Into something exceptional. They could not see the true potential science had, nor did they want to see it succeed. They decided what to research and what to progress by the money they gave to the science they wanted, leaving visionaries like him to have to go to unsavory places in order to procure funding and resources.

And then, there were the rules and regulations that limited science. No early human testing, no cloning, no deliberately harming a human to see their effects. Of course, any scientist willing to overstep these rules were seen as mad. Scientists like him. Honestly, if the Nazis had won, he could have joined their efforts in science. They were true scientists, willing to do anything in the name of science.

There were also humans even lower than the regulators and the common folk. The ones that intentionally weakened their bodies and try to rot their minds with drugs and sex. Those with no ambition or real future. The lowest form of humanity.

As he walked into a run-down club, music blaring, lights flashing, he could not hide his disgust for the ugly creatures that populated the building. One could not turn their head without seeing women propositioning men, druggies shooting up, or alcohol being poured. This trip had better be worth the trouble.

Making his way to the back, there was a booth separated from the rest of the club by drawn curtains. With a moment’s hesitation, he walked in.

He shouldn’t have been surprised by what he saw. On the sofa was Hidan with a woman on his lap riding him. He didn’t touch her, his arms resting on the back of the sofa. He let her do all the work, her arms wrapped around his neck, moving her hips to the fast beat of the music. Her pants and moans were covered up by the loud music. Orochimaru was thankful for small miracles. The last thing he wanted was to commit to memory this woman’s pathetic mewling. 

Hidan looked up from his woman, smiling at the discomfort and annoyance on Orochimaru’s face. He had always been a sadistic one, drowning himself in other’s fear and discomfort. “ _Orochimaru, what took you so fucking long? I got bored waiting.”_

 _“Clearly,”_ Orochimaru answered without veiling his disgust. “ _I didn’t come all the way here to watch you enjoy the local color._ ” His English was stilted and rough, but Hidan refused to speak another language, preferring to cause others to go out of their way for him.

“ _Too bad. You wanted to ask something, right? Speak up or leave me the fuck alone. Tonight’s feeding night.”_

Orochimaru’s lips twisted in displeasure. “ _Itachi Uchiha hired you to kill a cop recently, correct? An Asuma Sarutobi?”_

Hidan whispered something in the woman’s ear, and she slowed her pace considerably, shivering in his lap. Then he returned to the conversation at hand. _“You know, you’re the second person who asked me about that.”_

That was a bit of a surprise. Orochimaru had been averting his eyes slightly since entering, but he looked at Hidan head-on at this news. _“Who else inquired about it?”_

_“I don’t know his name. All I know is that he’s an old and powerful mother fucker. Even I would think twice about taking him on.”_

_“A member from the council?”_

_“Stronger.”_

That information was very intriguing. Someone stronger than the council? Was there such a being out there? Granted he was only human, he did not know every creature that existed in the darkness unseen by human society, but oh how he wanted to. The thought alone made him tremble in excitement, and he wanted to ask. 

_“You know, I love women._ ” Hidan brought a hand and pulled the woman back enough, so he could lovingly stroke her face. “ _They are soft, frail,”_ his hand trailed down to her neck _. “And so easily frightened._ ” His hand began to squeeze.

_“These days, the difference between men and women is slimming, but women still hold that fear of being followed in the dark. It’s intoxicating. You just want to see more and more.”_

The woman clawed at his hands, struggling to breathe, and not a single mark was made. She was beginning to foam at the mouth.

_“But prostitutes are my favorite. I can’t tell you why. Maybe because they’re steeped in sin. I especially like the ones who enjoy it. The bitches in heat who can’t get enough. They’re so happy to fuck me not knowing they’re about to die.”_

He snapped her neck, then shoved her off his lap.

Orochimaru took a step back to avoid being touched by the fresh corpse. _“Then why kill a man?”_

Hidan, amused, made a come here motion with his index finger. He wasn’t motioning to Orochimaru however. Something small, the size of a pea, materialized from the center of the woman’s chest. At the motion, it flew over to Hidan, hovering over his finger.

_“Itachi is a lying bastard. That’s why, but it wasn’t a complete waste. It’s been a long time since I’ve corrupted a soul as pure as that one. Go figure, an actual cop who wanted to help people.”_

Opening his mouth, he popped the small ball into his mouth then licked his lips. “Itadakimasu.”

Orochimaru left after that. He didn’t think he would get any more useful information from Hidan. Itachi was trying to limit his movements. He knew Itachi would turn on him, but he didn’t expect it in such a way. It would be harder to move around, but that’s what Kabuto was for. He didn’t leave his lab often anyway.

This mysterious inquirer on the other hand, if Orochimaru could befriend him, perhaps that could be the key to taking down the cocky vampire.

* * *

The computer monitor crashed into the door to Naruto’s room, leaving a dent in the wood. Next went the chair, knocked over and skidding across the floor.

Naruto was destroying everything that was within his reach. The anger at himself kept bubbling to the surface. He couldn’t stop it, no matter how hard he tried. It was like something else was steering his body and his actions, his red eyes were looking for something else to take his anger out on. They turned to the intruder who had opened the door, entering his territory.

“Moron,” Uchiha’s voice was barely above a whisper. Though calm on the outside, he was taken back when Naruto growled at him as if he had lost his ability to speak. A fang peaked out from under his upper lip, and his eyes seemed to belong more to an animal than a man. “Obviously, you’re upset, but throwing things and breaking my property will not help solve your problem.”

“What do you know!” Naruto’s voice had taken on a deeper timber as if another voice was trying to override his. “It’s always like this! Everyone I care about always dies! My parents! Asuma!” An aura, clear like vapor, but heavy like a blanket, distorting the view of the area behind it, was wrapping itself around Naruto, growing darker and setting Uchiha’s senses on alert.

“Uzumaki.” But his voice could not reach him. Another voice was occupying Naruto’s attention.

**That’s right, kit. Get angrier.**

_Shut up! SHUT UP! This doesn’t involve you! Stay out of my head!_

**Of course, it does**. **If you’re upset, I’m upset. You should be mad that someone did that to Asuma. You should want revenge. If you give me control now, I can find the killer for you.**

Naruto’s hair was starting to streak orange as his anger grew, his bloodlust for the person who murdered Asuma was becoming uncontrollable.

“Uzumaki, you need to calm do─” Sasuke was knocked down to the ground, Uzumaki on top of him. Sasuke barely caught Uzumaki’s hands that were aimed at his neck. His nails grown sharp, like claws, and if it was the same as before, those nails could easily slice his neck open.

Uzumaki’s consciousness was no longer there, it was like his body was being driven by an animal, trying to use its newfound claws to slice open his prey.

Sasuke held onto his wrists firmly, trying to push them away, but to his disbelief, Naruto was overpowering him. His training kept him from panicking, but he had almost failed to suppress it. Looking around them, there was nothing to be used as a weapon. Uzumaki had thrown the few items in the room and there was nothing nearby. Sasuke was losing, Uzumaki’s claws getting to his neck for comfort.

Well there was more than one way to satisfy a beast.

Sasuke pulled Uzumaki forward, making Uzumaki miss his head by redirecting his hands to either side of his head. With the movement, Uzumaki fell forward as well, meeting Sasuke’s lips.

Uzumaki bit Sasuke’s lip, his fangs drawing blood, but the vampire moved his lips as if it was just foreplay.

A growl escaped Naruto as if in warning, but instead of attacking, or more unpleasant, biting off Sasuke’s lip, Uzumaki licked the thick blood from his lips. An interesting choice since Sasuke’s blood should not be enticing to any creature.

It was a good opportunity to slip his tongue into Uzumaki’s mouth.

His angry and violent aura began to slowly fade as Naruto kissed back with fervor, his nails, digging into the wood beside Sasuke’s head, his anger turning into lust.

He hadn’t expected Uzumaki to respond, but Sasuke wasn’t going to complain. He was getting into it himself, urging Uzumaki’s tongue to play with his as he pulled Uzumaki closer to further deepen the kiss.

With Uzumaki distracted, Sasuke was able to flip them over, so that he was on top, but he did not break the kiss. He should have, but something about Uzumaki’s taste kept him going. He had that strong, distinct flavor, just like his blood. He wanted more of it, needed more of it.

Then, Uzumaki absolutely froze.

With Uzumaki no longer responding, Sasuke broke the kiss to take in Uzumaki’s expression. Uzumaki’s features had returned to normal minus his bright red face.

Before he could even ask, Uzumaki shoved him off and scrambled backward.

Trying to pinpoint Uzumaki’s expression with one emotion was hard. His face was red with embarrassment and possibly lingering lust. His eyes had tears in the corners as if he didn’t know whether to cry or not, conflicted with the anger and sadness from before. He was covering his mouth with his hand as if he couldn’t believe what he had just done, and lastly, there was clearly a bulge in his pants. He wasn’t sure what emotion he wanted to deal with right now.

He shouldn’t take advantage of him in this confused state, Sasuke decided, though it was hard to admit with his own hard-on pressing against his pants. “Are you back to your senses?”

Sasuke gave him an out, making it seem the kiss was just to startled Naruto back to his senses, easing a few of Uzumaki’s emotions, and letting the others take dominance. Sadness and guilt resurfaced, and Uzumaki seemed determined to suppress them.

“I’m going outside,” he said, standing. “Don’t hold yourself back.”

Uzumaki, Sasuke was quickly realizing, had developed bad coping mechanisms. He didn’t cry. He forced himself not to. Because he didn’t want to trouble anyone with his tears. He was constantly trying to suppress. Uzumaki was very similar to himself, but so very, very different. Uzumaki at his base was innocent, wanting to be of use to others and make them happy. Sasuke was nowhere near that pure. He was stained black from his core out.

Hearing the soft crying from behind the door, Sasuke felt relieved. Uzumaki had decided not to hold in his grief.

“Ah, Uchiha-sama. I thought you went to work?” Tobi quickly walked down the hall. “Is something wrong?”

“It’s nothing,” he replied, walking past him. He had planned to go, but Uzumaki had ditched him when he had been called to the principal’s office after school. When he went to get him from his room later on, the fledgling had been trashing the room. How was he supposed to go to work under these circumstances?

“Um, Uchiha-san, I know this is not my place, but I want to remind you of the reason why we are here in the first place. This is the closest we have ever gotten to Itachi-san. For the first time, he has contacted you. However, you have done little to search for him since coming he─” Tobi was backhanded across the face with so much force, he flew into the wall, breaking the drywall, but not going through it.

“Mind your tongue,” Sasuke said with a coldness that could match his brother’s. “Never insinuate that I am not taking my search seriously again. There will be no forgiveness for another transgression.”

Tobi bowed his head to the floor. “Forgive my rudeness, Uchiha-sama. This servant had forgotten his place.”

Without giving a sign of whether or not he forgave Tobi, he walked away, leaving his servant bowing on the floor until he was out of sight.

* * *

Jiraiya entered a dark room with a single large round table and a candle that stood in the center flickering. The shadows of 20 people who sat around the table danced on the walls. The unstable lighting made the faces difficult to see.

To an outsider, the ambiance would seem like a cult, but that wasn’t the reason for the low light. The true reason was because of spies. With the low light, it would be difficult to make out the faces around the table. At least that was the original reason. With night vision now available, even the darkness would provide no real challenge from cameras. Perhaps at the next meeting, he should propose normal lights.

Jiraiya found his assigned seat, it being the only empty seat left.

“Now that everyone is present, we shall begin the meeting by order of the Godaime…Tsunade.” There was hesitation when saying the name as well as very poorly hidden discontent.

With Tsunade being ¾ American, the older generation, who remembered the war from their childhoods or inherited their hatred from their parents, could not help but hate her as well. They considered her grandfather a traitor for marrying an American military nurse, and fuel only added to the fire when Tsunade’s parents raised the first 16 years of her life in America. They didn’t see her as one of them.

None of the prejudice ever held her back. She held her head high and spoke proudly, not letting their opinions weigh her down. A trait Jiraiya admired very much about her.

“Thank you all for coming today. I asked you here due to the recent events that have been happening on the island. As we have feared, security has been broken. A ghoul managed to get on the island and leave without detection. The only reason we are aware is due to the blood found at the scene, and Uchiha’s cooperation.”

“Uchiha,” an old man sneered. “We didn’t have this problem until we allowed him on the island. We should never have allowed it.”

“As much as I agree with you,” Tsunade said, “I will not be the first to break the contract. This was the Uchiha’s land first. It was only through his permission that our ancestors were allowed to take this island for themselves.”

“A decision your great grandfather made, might I add.”

“The truth is,” another voice spoke up. It was quite younger than the old man who had spoken. “That it is our blood has become weak. Too many of the branch families who have lost their abilities have forgotten. They may as well be normal citizens, and it is our fault for not reminding them.”

“That aside,” an old woman spoke up. “How much can we hold Uchiha to his word. He has already killed two of our youths.”

“They had entered his home. Contractually speaking, he had the right to feed on them,” Tsunade answered.

“And if he had dragged them into his home first?” the woman challenged. “You are too trusting of that bloodsucker. I hear that he is involving himself with Uzumaki, Naruto. Do you not find that strange? That the moment he enters your school, his target is that boy?”

“If he is bitten, then we need to kill him.” the young man’s voice from before said. There was no remorse, just cold hard fact.

Jiraiya closed his eyes already knowing the truth.

“If the need arises,” he continued. “You will take responsibility and do what needs to be done, won’t you Tsunade-sama?”

The spark that Tsunade had flickered at the statement. How could it not? She had helped raise Naruto as much as Jiraiya had. They weren’t good at it, nor were they perfect, but they loved him.

She answered with sturdy conviction as she looked across the table to the man who had spoken. “If he is bitten, I will have him killed. My personal feelings on the matter have nothing to do with my decisions nor should they ever interfere.”

She looked around the table. “For now, tighten security. Unless they are cleared by me, no one is allowed on the island. Deidara-san and his mate will be on the island tomorrow to meet with Uchiha and later myself. If any of them do anything suspicious, kill them. War or not.”

“Yes, ma’am,” they all responded, some more passionate than others.

“Dismissed.” 

One by one, each member stood to leave. Jiraiya stayed seated, listening to each one go until just he and Tsunade were left.

Tsunade moved down several chairs, taking a seat beside him. “I’m sorry about Asuma-kun,” she whispered.

“The last thing I had said to him was that he couldn’t call me by my name, that he was no longer my friend.” Jiraiya slumped over the table, folding his hands. “I think that is what I regret most. To think that the person he thought Naruto had killed was a ghoul working for that monster.”

“Did he ever say anything about why he was at the crime scene?”

Jiraiya shook his head. “Gaara-kun had said it was likely self-defense. Naruto’s probably too scared to come forward about it. You know how he is, but if that ghoul did come here to tell Orochimaru where he is…”

“Trouble always seems to attract to him.” Her fingers ran through his hair. The places her fingers touched tingled, sapping away his worry and tension the longer the contact remained. “We won’t let him fall into his hands again.”

“And Uchiha? You didn’t tell them that it’s most likely too late.”

Her fingers stilled.

“We aren’t 100 percent certain,” she said quietly.

“He left to live with him, Tsunade. I found his bloodied shirt the day after he went to the mansion on his collar. What more proof is there?” Jiraiya closed his eyes. Each word grew sharper and sharper, knowing full well that it was too late for him. Time was running out.

“I meant what I said. If it comes down to it, we will kill him before the change is complete.”

Jiraiya met her eyes. The kind guardian who he had been the past 12 years was nowhere to be seen. Just a hardened soldier. “If it’s true, let me be the one to take revenge on the vampire who changed him.”

Tsunade went quiet. His request was selfish and potentially dangerous. He would be breaking a treaty. With a matching bloodlust in her eyes, she gave her reply, “I give you permission.”

* * *

If someone claimed that Naruto was trying to avoid Uchiha, they would be completely right. Naruto would never admit it though.

It was early in the morning. The sun wasn’t even properly up. Therefore, there was little for Naruto to do around the mansion since he destroyed his computer. He walked downstairs just in time to see Tobi getting ready to leave.

“Hey, Tobi-san, where’re you going?”

The butler paused then slowly turned to Naruto, smiling way too brightly for someone up in the morning. “Food shopping. You still eat food, right? We can’t have you starving to death before you turn.”

“Right,” Naruto’s gaze shifted down. “Can I come?”

“Oh no, I could never allow Uchiha-sama’s lover to do something so mundane,” it was a gentle refusal, but his words had Naruto snapping his head up, blushing.

“What?” his voice squeaked. “I’m not─ Why would you─ I’m a guy!” His defense wasn’t a very good one, but it was what came out of his rattled brain. His answer seemed to confuse Tobi as well.

“Is that a problem? Uchiha-sama is a homosexual after all… could it be Japan isn’t as open as I thought?” he murmured.

“It’s not that it’s a problem. I mean it’s okay that he’s gay. I’m cool with that. It’s just that um…” he didn’t know what to say.

Due to the island’s isolation, a lot of the people were conservative. The younger generation was more open, but he never met anyone who was gay or would blatantly talk about their sexuality, especially with so many people on the island coming from rich and rather strict households. The foreigners were slightly more open but had lived in Japan long enough that their children and grandchildren had adopted a lot of the Japanese customs.

Add in the difficulty of the school’s curriculum, a lot of the students didn’t pay attention to their love life, focusing on studying and aiming for the coveted A in their mock exams at cram school, saying that they’ll worry about falling in love afterward.

Sai was probably the exception to the rule but talking about getting laid and actually acting on it was two different things. Yeah, he talked about sleeping with his girlfriend, but he didn’t plan to just get right to it. He wanted to take it slow. She deserved that much, right? Granted he didn’t spend much time with her….

Was he thinking about this too much?

He felt his face heat up further remembering the kiss he was trying to forget. He had thought it was just to snap him out of it, but maybe for Uchiha, it had been more. Further reason to avoid him in his opinion.

“I apologize, I had assumed he had brought you here as to be his lover. He doesn’t normally bring home anyone else.”

So Naruto wasn’t the first.

“I see,” he said dryly. “Do you think you can send me to school then? I don’t have much money, but I’ll pay you.”

“There is no need for that, Uzumaki-sama. I am here to serve you.”

He had woken up thinking about Asuma and his weird behavior. He still blamed himself for Asuma’s death. It was because of the person he killed that Asuma had been investigating in the first place. Then to lose control as he had. Was his condition getting worse? He didn’t have much of a reputation left, but if it got out he was schizophrenic, would even Gaara and Kiba stay? Those thoughts plagued him all morning until Tobi brought up the result of his loss of control. Now, he was stuck in a town car thinking about Uchiha, and he desperately wanted his brain to just stop working. 

Luckily the ride was only 20 minutes.

The sun had finally risen. It was going to be another warm day, which was nice. He figured he could sneak into Tsunade’s office and get an hour of shut eye before she came barging in. He’d leave at the last minute to avoid Uchiha until class.

Walking down the path to the entrance, Kiba was leaning against a tree, a ball in his hand. Masayoshi was lying down beside him under the shade.

“Hey, Kiba!” He called out.

Kiba looked up, smiling at Naruto and waving half-heartedly back. “Hey, it’s been a while.”

“Yeah, sorry about that. Between Gaara and Uchiha, I’ve been busy.”

“Right…” Kiba deflated, tossing the ball into the air and catching it. “You’ve been hanging out with them a lot.”

“Sorry. Uchiha’s been asking me to show him around, and Gaara’s having trouble with something, and…”

“Hey man, it’s okay. I know.”

Blood drained from Naruto’s face. “Know what?” he tried to play it off on the off chance that maybe it wasn’t what Naruto was thinking.

“Dude, you are horrible at lying. I know you were bitten, and I know you’re turning into a vampire. I overheard everything.”

So, it was what Naruto was fearing. His mouth went dry. What could he say?

He felt Kiba’s arm go around his neck, who then put him into a headlock, trapping Naruto and messing up his hair. “What’s with that face?” he laughed. “You’re going to make me feel bad.”

He let go, causing Naruto to stumble forward a bit. “So, you’re a vampire. Just think of all the cool powers you’ll have. It’ll be fun.”

“Yeah, I guess…”

Kiba was smiling at him like nothing had changed, still that easy-going moron Naruto had come to know over the years. It occurred to Naruto that maybe Kiba was faking it, or the situation had not really sunk into Kiba’s mind as reality and the consequences that could come with it. Kiba could change his mind about him. Leave him.

But Kiba was there now. One of the few remaining strands of his old life that was still with him that might stay after the change was complete. Naruto smiled shyly, rubbing the back of his head unsure of what to say.

Kiba tossed him the baseball he had been holding to Naruto, who caught it with an expert hand. “There’s still some time before people arrive. Want to terrorize the rich kids in the dorms?”

Naruto’s shy smile turned into one of mischief. “I know where Baa-chan keeps the keys.”

“I know where they store the paint,” Kiba matched his smile.

Akamaru huffed, swishing his tail and repositioning his head. Naruto glared at the scoff at them. No matter what Kiba said, that dog wasn’t normal. “Shut up.” Naruto tossed the baseball at the dog.

The ball would have missed if Akamaru didn’t suddenly sit up and swat the ball back at Naruto with his overly large paw. Naruto caught the ball just before it hit his face.

“Come on!” He gestured widely at the dog who huffed several times as if he was laughing. “That thing isn’t normal! What type of dog does that?!”

  
“He must have learned some tricks from his previous owner,” Kiba shrugged it off as he always did when it came to Akamaru. Obviously, Kiba was used to Akamaru’s weird behavior by now, but was it natural to never question it? “Isn’t it cooler than just catching it?”

Too tired to even argue the point, Naruto shook his head, clearing it from his mind. “Let’s get the keys first. You never know when Baa-chan will get here.”

“Sure thing, but…. Can we go to the girl’s dorms this time?”

Naruto laughed, punching his arm. “Sure, perv. I’ll even let you peep on Hinata-chan.”

Kiba’s face flushed darkly. “I never said that I liked Hyuuga-chan.”

“I never said you did.”

Embarrassed, Kiba tried to change the subject. Kiba would never peep, but he always tried to find ways to run into her. As a good friend, Naruto obliged his friend’s slightly stalkerish ways, while trying to encourage him to confess already. The first step was to get Kiba to admit his feelings aloud.

Naruto and Kiba quickly calculated their plan on the way to the office. As childish as it was, their pranks were harmless, and it would be good for him. A sense of normalcy was just what he needed.

* * *

“ _Naruto! Kiba!_ _Get your ass over here!_ ” Tsunade’s loud yelling in English was enough to know Naruto had really pissed her off but not enough to berate him in Japanese in front of everyone. Currently, both he and his partner in crime were running for their lives down the halls, outmaneuvering the students trying to get to their morning classes.

“I told you we should have done the male dorms!” Kiba yelled, jumping over the banister on the stairs, Naruto quickly following.

“Liar! You were the one who suggested it!” Naruto yelled back.

“Well how I was I supposed to know the shared bath was there? Who reverses floor plans? And who takes a bath this late in the morning?”

“Apparently TenTen does, and you shouldn’t have dropped the paint in the first place!”

“You said, the roof was safe!”

The students got out of their way. This was a normal occurrence whenever Kiba and Naruto got into trouble, ad more often than not, they did escape being caught─ in the morning anyway. During lunch, they were as good as dead.

They ran until morning lessons were about to start, stopping to catch their breath outside their classroom. Tsunade would never bust them during lessons, wanting Naruto to be in class instead of being lectured about his behavior during them.

“Getting into trouble already, Uzumaki-san?”

Uchiha’s voice had Naruto tensing. He had completely forgotten that Uchiha would be in class, and his unwanted troubles, accompanied by his mixed feelings, came flooding back to him.

He knew he couldn’t run, but he wasn’t quite ready to face him yet either. So he spoke without looking directly at him. Uchiha wouldn’t call him out while Uchiha still acted with his perfect student façade. “Just a little prank that went wrong. Nothing too bad.”

“Except that Tenten from class 3-A saw us through a skylight while in the bath,” Kiba muttered. “We are so getting arrested.”

“Don’t be so negative, Kiba. It was an accident.”

“What would your girlfriend say though? Her reputation would be ruined if it got out that her boyfriend is a pervert,” Uchiha said sympathetically.

Naruto’s eyes widened to comic proportions. “Oh no. I’ll… be right back.” Naruto darted down the hall at full speed, heading towards class 3-A.

“I better go with him. He’s probably going to try to talk to Tenten and try to convince her it was an accident,” Kiba sighed heavily.

“Well we can’t have him getting into more trouble, can we?” Sasuke smiled. To an untrained eye, it looked more than sincere.

Kiba nodded, walking off to make sure his friend didn’t find any more trouble, unintentional or not.

Sasuke didn’t follow. He headed the opposite direction, taking advantage of Uzumaki’s distraction. Just a few doors down from the nurse’s office was the faculty room. He entered.

Several teachers looked up, some who recognized him from his job even grew excited. Those were the teachers who didn’t teach Class 3-E. His eyes scanned over the desks, but he didn’t see the person he was looking for. He only caught a glimpse of one of his teachers. He would have to do.

Walking up to his desk, he smiled brightly, making one woman swoon, and said, “Umino-sensei, may I speak to you?”

* * *

“Well if it isn’t Sasuke and Naruto,” Deidara tossed his camera carelessly to the side as someone nearly fell to catch it. “Take ten everyone!” He called. He was dressed more casually, his hair in a ponytail and donned a dress suit, but the brand was still top class. Compared to the first time he had seen him, Deidara seemed to be in a much better mood. “Have you finally come to work for me, Naruto?”

“Not exactly,” was what Naruto wanted to say, but Uchiha beat him to it with a smug smile.

“Yes. As payment for letting him live with me. I thought maybe you could try him out today.”

Deidara’s smile made a shiver go up Naruto’s spine. It was like Uchiha had told him he could have his way with Naruto with no consequences.

“Just so everyone knows,” Naruto said with all seriousness, “this is not consensual.”

Deidara laughed. “Oh, you say no, but all I hear is yes.” Humming, his evil smile turned insanely bright, possibly making Naruto fear more than before. “I have the perfect idea. There’s been an idea I’ve been wanting to do, but I just hadn’t been able to find the perfect contrast for Sasuke, until now that is.”

“Do I want to know?” Naruto asked dryly.

“Probably not.” He snapped his fingers. “Bring me the following items!” he yelled then named off a large list of items ranging from clothes to background to lighting.

Naruto watched, feeling a stress headache already forming. “He may be the scariest person I ever met.”

“But one of the best photographers in the world,” Uchiha answered, looking around.

“Something wrong?” Naruto asked, looking around as well.

“… I just thought I felt someone unpleasant nearb─”

The door slammed open, gaining the attention of its occupants. The light atmosphere that had once filled the building immediately turned oppressive. No one moved or dared to breath.

“I guess I wasn’t imagining it,” Uchiha muttered. Even he seemed a bit on edge at the entrance of what seemed to be a disheveled doctor.

“Who is he?”

“Sasori. He is the head of the immortal morgue,” Uchiha kept his voice down as the doctor passed them. “He rarely leaves the morgue. When he does, it’s never good news.”

“But don’t immortals live forever?”

Uchiha gave him a look that made Naruto think he had asked a stupid question. “I told you there are ways to kill us, didn’t I? But he doesn’t just take in immortal corpses. He also takes human corpses that may expose the existence of our world.”

Naruto didn’t understand how human corpses could expose vampires. It seemed unlikely they took every human that was bitten and killed by a vampire. Maybe he meant humans in the middle of their transformation. 

In the middle of his musings, Sasori had walked across the room to a waiting Deidara. Without warning, he pulled Deidara into a heated kiss.

“He is also Deidara’s lover,” Uchiha answered to a stunned Naruto, turning and leaving. Uchiha didn’t seem shocked and more of just bored, unlike Naruto. He knew Westerners were open with PDA, but seeing it was something else. Just when he finally had forgotten about his own kiss too.

The two lovers parted, and Sasori leaned forward to whisper something into his ear. It was then that Naruto noticed that Deidara was slightly taller than, making them a strange sight. Deidara nodded, looking serious and replied in what Naruto believed to be French.

Deidara gestured to a back room which Sasori nodded to. As the doctor turned, something caught his eye. He changed his destination, leaving his mate who seemed unperturbed by his sudden dismissal of him to head towards Naruto.

Naruto looked around and indeed, no one else was around him.

Unlike Deidara, Sasori had no presence. He was like a ghost. Even his eyes seemed to lack any hint of feeling.

He stopped in front of Naruto, and like Deidara, he was examined from head to foot with his eyes. “Are you related to Namikaze, Minato?” he asked.

The name of his deceased father brought up Naruto’s walls, his expression closing off in an instant. “Why do you want to know?”

Whispers around them drifted to Naruto’s ears. Those around them had broken into conversation, making Naruto warier. Had they heard the rumors too?

“I see.” His eyes flickered behind Naruto. “Interesting. I will see you around.” He left as quickly as he came, returning to his mate’s side, sending him a glare as Deodara gave him an innocent shrug in response.

Naruto turned to look at Uchiha, knowing that he had returned when Sasori had been distracted before. “Is everyone you know crazy?”

“…Perhaps.”

Uchiha seemed off; he was staring at the door Deidara and Sasori had left through.

Lianne came running up to them, ranting about getting them ready for the shoot. It was difficult to decipher her words. Her Japanese was quite horrendous whenever she went beyond a simple sentence. She pulled and pushed Naruto into the dressing room, and Uchiha followed at a more sedated pace, wondering why a man who never left his lab or concerned himself with others knew about Naruto.  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please leave a comment. I do want to know what you guys think and improve my writing.


	11. Chapter 11

“May I speak with you, Iruka-sensei?”

Iruka looked up from his work. “Sure thing, Uchiha-san, but first, do you mind helping me bring some materials to the supply room?”

“Not at all.”

There wasn’t much to bring, a small stack of papers and some slides for an old projector. Iruka could have easily carried it by himself. Uchiha kept his thoughts to himself, not bothering to bring up unnecessary comments. 

They walked in silence down the hall to the third floor. Iruka walked with his hands behind his back slightly behind him. Sasuke didn’t complain. For his purposes, he had to try to be civil.

Iruka opened the supply room for him, though Sasuke could have done it himself. “After you,” the teacher said.

Sasuke entered followed by Iruka who closed the door behind them. “I hope what you wanted to talk about wasn’t about the class registry again, Uchiha-san.”

“I wouldn’t dream of upsetting you again, Iruka-sensei.” His words almost sounded sincere if it weren’t for the mocking gaze he aimed at Iruka. Sasuke set the material on the large wooden table meant for material preparation. “It’s a more personal matter.”

“I see. I would be happy to help you if I can.” Iruka’s smile was obviously fake though there was some satisfaction that Iruka was in an uncomfortable position. Sasuke could care little for an ant underneath his boot.

“I wanted to inform you that I will be out of school for a week or so for work on the mainland. My photographer and crew will be returning to their main studio after today.”

Iruka’s smiled a fraction wider, showing his happiness at the news. “I see. Students should be diligent in their work after all; however, don’t forget about your studies either. Midterms are in two weeks after all.” Iruka took a box down from the shelf. “Though, you should inform your homeroom teacher about things like that as well as the principal.”

“I would, but I am unable to find Kakashi-sensei and Tsunade-san is out of town, or so I hear.”

“That is true. Hatake-sensei is hard to find,” Iruka agreed, opening the box. It seemed to be filled with old papers that were laminated. “I will inform them of your absence.”

“Thank you, Sensei. There is one other thing.” Sasuke moved to the other side of the table. “Uzumaki-san will be coming with me.”

Iruka’s hand stilled. “Did you ask his guardian? I was told by Jiraiya-san that he would be out of town for a few days.”

“Uzumaki-san is currently living with me. It was Uzumaki-san’s decision to accompany me and take on the same work as me.”

“I see. I see.” Iruka reached underneath the papers. “Let me make a note to remind myself to tell Tsunade-san.”

A quick flash of metal was the only warning. Picking up the nearest item on hand, Sasuke used a textbook to block three knives aimed at his heart. The knives cut threw the material like butter, stopping at the hilt.

Sasuke threw the text back at Iruka who dodged.

The book crashed into the boxes behind him, knocking several items off the shelf, but Iruka wasn’t deterred, already armed again with shuriken. He threw them at Sasuke with deadly accuracy.

Lacking anything to block, Sasuke caught them with his right hand, in between his fingers.

“Now, now, Sensei, attacking a student isn’t very professional of you,” Sasuke kept his polite smile, but his eyes were looking down on the teacher before him. He dropped the shuriken, each one hitting the floor with a soft clang.

Iruka put distance between them, as much as the room would allow without trapping himself. “You think I wouldn’t attack after hearing you’re taking one of our children?”

“One of your children?” Sasuke smirked. “Is that so? Because Uzumaki-san didn’t know about my kind, and I can bet if I asked, he wouldn’t know about you either, Iruka-sensei.”

“Every person on this island is under our protection,” Iruka growled.

“I’m sure they are. That’s why so many of your youths keep entering my house on dares. Or how ghouls run around with guns under your noses. You are doing an excellent job.” Uchiha’s words were dripping with sarcasm, not once losing that annoying fake smile.

“That is none of your business!”

“No,” Sasuke agreed. “It’s not.” Turning his back to Iruka, he implied that Iruka posed no threat to Sasuke, that he wasn’t worth his time or effort. He could feel the man bristling behind him.

“Where do you think you’re going?!”

“I came to deliver a message of my plans, as per the agreement with Tsunade-san. I’ve done that, now it’s time for class.” Sasuke explained it in a way that sounded like he was explaining it to a rather slow and ill-tempered child.

“Do you think you can get away with this, here? Running around as you please?”

Uchiha had grabbed the handle to the door, noting that Iruka had locked it when he wasn’t paying attention. Really, humans should act like the cattle they were instead of causing endless problems.

Tilting his head, so that he could see Iruka, he replied. “Yes,” he said matter of factly. “This is my island after all. I only let you stay here because I never thought I’d be back.” He tugged the handle sharply, breaking the lock on the sliding door. “However, since I am, let’s try to get along, shall we?”

* * *

“─ey…..Hey….. Hey bastard! Are you paying attention?”

Sasuke was pulled out of his memories, lazily zoning in on Uzumaki who was inches away from his face. The boy must have been calling him for a while. Despite the annoyance in his voice, his brow was creased with concern.

“If you want another kiss, all you have to do is ask.”

It was fascinating how fast Uzumaki moved, rivaling that of a vampire. His face was flushed as his mouth worked wordlessly, unsure of what to say. It was refreshing to see. Sasuke hadn’t seen a man be that flustered over something as simple as a kiss for almost sixty maybe seventy years.

He should have left it at that, but Uzumaki’s reactions made Sasuke just want to keep teasing him if just to relieve his boredom. “I thought you had a girlfriend. Don’t tell me you haven’t even kissed her yet.”

Uzumaki’s face turned a brighter red, confirming Sasuke’s theory.

“That’s none of your business, bastard!” Uzumaki yelled, gaining some attention from those around them. “I just wanted to tell you, Lianna has our outfits ready.”

Uzumaki was sulking about the shoot. Honestly, Sasuke was surprised Uzumaki was going along with it; although, no one ever denied Deidara. If he wanted to do a shoot a certain way, he would get it done. However, Deidara was kind enough to assuage Uzumaki’s worries by promising him that they would never reach print. Today was just to see if Uzumaki could do the work. Looks were part of it but being able to relax in front of the camera and being able to pose naturally was another story.

It would probably be Uzumaki’s first and last shoot. During the briefing of what was going to be done, both Sasuke and Deidara had noticed Uzumaki’s lack of self-confidence veiled behind his complaints. While it was not a surprise for Sasuke, who had witnessed the gossip and mistreatment around Uzumaki the short time he had been with him, Deidara was more impatient, unable to comprehend how “such a beauty” could have such low self-esteem.

In the end, he threatened him to grow a backbone with an aura that could scare even Sasuke if it had been directed at him. To Uzumaki’s credit, he took it well. He was only mildly off-balanced rather than soiling himself like so many other humans and a few immortals had done. That ability to handle such dangerous situations calmly earned Deidara’s respect, for about two seconds before he moved on to yelling at his subordinates to get everything ready.

Sasuke and Uzumaki went with Lianne to the changing room.

Each passing minute, Uzumaki’s mood soured, muttering to himself about his luck and how he would rather do this with a cute girl for a partner. Thankfully, his complaints only lasted about 15 minutes. Lianne was a skilled hair and makeup stylist as well and had them prepared in record time.

With a single compliment from Sasuke, the girl beamed. She had turned at a young age of 13 or 14, and rather recently. She had not yet outgrown the young teen behavior even after 20 years as an immortal. The problem with turning the young was that mental development and maturity became heavily stagnated at the age they were changed at. An immortal who acted with child-like tendencies could threaten the exposure of their kind. Thus, it was frowned upon to change anyone deemed a child.

Of course, throughout history, that number changed. A 15-year-old 500 years ago would be more mature than a 15-year-old in the present. Today, 16 for girls and 18 for boys was the standard as both stopped growing around that time. Recently, talks about changing the age have started again.

That wasn’t to say that a young immortal couldn’t mature, it just took a very long time to change. An immortal changed at the age of 7 could have the wisdom of an elder after a 1,000 years, but an immortal changed at the age of 20 could reach that wisdom in half or even a quarter of the time. Since there wasn’t much change in mental development after a certain age, there was no sense in waiting after reaching adulthood, but some still chose to wait if they had the option.

“You are cute, Sasuke-chan. Very cute,” Lianna smiled at her handiwork.

The sound of Uzumaki’s snicker could be heard somewhere behind him as Sasuke politely corrected her. “You should use handsome. Not cute.”

She blushed, nodding her head quickly and apologizing.

“If you two are done messing around, get your asses out here. I don’t have all day!” Deidara’s foul language could be heard over the commotion of the studio.

Uzumaki started complaining again, leaving the room first, and Sasuke followed after giving Lianne a kiss on the cheek for a quick farewell.

* * *

Naruto nearly collapsed onto the chair once Deidara gave him permission to take a break. It wasn’t natural to be able to stand or sit still for such long periods of time. Then there were all those orders.

Turn your head more.

Give me a smolder.

Turn your body 3 degrees.

Don’t smile so brightly.

He didn’t understand how anyone could do this for a living. Plus, the position he was forced to do….

Naruto’s face turned red in embarrassment, placing a towel over his face, hoping he could forget. There was no way he was looking at the results. He couldn’t hold a candle standing next to Uchiha and would people really buy pictures like the ones he had just posed for?

“Just stop thinking about it, Naruto,” he muttered to himself, wearily dragging the towel off his face.

One more thing was bothering him. At first, he thought it was his imagination, but as the shoot kept extending due to Naruto’s inexperience, Naruto began to notice more and more.

The employees were staring at him.

Not from hunger like before. No, this time it was a gaze Naruto was familiar with. It was the same eyes as the townsfolk. As he sat in his chair, he could feel someone glaring at him. He felt the urge to curl into himself, away from such eyes.

Suddenly, the eyes were gone, and in its place was Deidara’s all too innocent smile. “You were fabulous today.”

The snort of derision Naruto gave could not express all of Naruto’s doubts. “Yeah, right. I was so bad, I have people glaring at me.”

Deidara raised an eyebrow. “You saying I don’t have an eye for talent?”

Clearing his throat and looking away, Naruto replied, “So, are we done for today?”

“As soon as you return the clothes.” He handed him a manila folder marked ‘photos’.

Grudgingly, Naruto took the folder. “Thanks.”

Deidara’s hand patted his shoulder. “See you next week, Naruto-kun,” he waved over his shoulder, crushing Naruto’s hopes that this would be his last job. 

With a heavy sigh, he pulled himself out of his chair. Maybe if he hurried, he’d be able to steal some food from the buffet table before it was cleaned up.

* * *

School was a stable and predictable pattern in his life. At least that’s what Naruto liked to think. Rarely did anything drastically changed from his routine while he was at school and Naruto could handle that. He craved a stable point in his life right now with all the craziness that had occurred within the past week. So when he stepped out of the town car the next day, the extra attention took him by surprise.

On a normal day, everyone would be keeping his distance from him, specifically the students outside his class. They wouldn’t even look at him if they could help it and would only gossip if they thought he was nowhere near them.

Today wasn’t the case. The moment he stepped out of the car there was a crowd of students staring and whispering excitedly. At first, he thought that maybe it was because Uchiha was beside him.

Uchiha had quite a few fans outside their class. Just the day before, he had received 4 love letters, all which were never opened and thrown away upon being received. It wasn’t unusual for him to be stopped by a female student if Naruto wasn’t nearby. If what Tobi had said about Uchiha was true, it was no wonder why Uchiha tended to stay nearby, only disappearing at odd intervals.

Today, however, the attention was definitely on him. One girl even blushed looking at him.

As always, however the rest of the student body treated him, his classmates had the opposite reaction. If normally the rest of the school gossiped and avoided him, his class tolerated him and interacted with him to a certain extent. Not as friends, but as acquaintances at the very least. Now that the school was giving him they’re undivided attention, his class seemed to be doing a lot to ignore him. Even Sai had not come by to harass him.

The moment he walked into class, the atmosphere felt unbearably cold.

“What’s gotten into them?” He asked Uchiha, taking a seat at his desk.

“Don’t know,” Kiba dragged his chair to Naruto’s desk. “They’ve been weird all morning.”

“Maybe they’ve realized idiocy is contagious,” Uchiha quipped, earning a glare from both Kiba and Naruto.

Sakura walked over to them with disapproval on her face, slamming a magazine onto Naruto’s desk causing both boys to jump at the loud sound. “Is there something you want to tell me, Uzumaki-san?”

Sakura wasn’t one to make a scene, so Naruto knew whatever it was, he was in trouble. With a glance at the magazine, however, Naruto forgot her entirely.

He snatched the magazine, his eyes wide with disbelief. This couldn’t be happening. He had promised this would never get out.

Kiba, curious as to what caused Naruto’s reaction, looked over his friend’s shoulder to get a look. He too turned wide eyed at the cover. “Naruto-kun…I had no idea.”

On the cover was one of the pictures he had taken yesterday with Uchiha. The most embarrassing one to boot.

The background consisted of black and red silk draped from the ceiling over a bed surrounded by white candles. Uchiha was lying on his back in a pair of tight black jeans low on his hips with the zipper partially undone. His hands were tied with handcuffs above his head, and his eyes stared into the camera, glazed over with fear and ecstasy, his lips slightly parted and wet.

Naruto was acting the part of a vampire. He was wearing a black, Italian silk shirt that was halfway unbuttoned with matching black slacks. One hand was placed next to Uchiha’s head, while his tongue peeked out to lick the blood from the thumb of the other hand that had smeared the blood from the corner of his mouth to his lips. A hint of a fang was just visible from under Naruto’s lip. 

The scene was even more erotic for the fact that Naruto was only inches from Uchiha’s neck and his eyes looked into the camera with lust as if the viewer had just disturbed Naruto from feeding. They held a sense of possession over his prey.

The mortification at seeing such a cover could not be described. Photoshop aside, and it had to be photoshopped because there was no way he managed to pull that off yesterday, Tsunade and Jiraiya were going to flip. Don’t even get him started on the rumors this cover was going to cause.

“Hey man, it’s okay if you’re gay,” Kiba patted his back sympathetically, but his jokes weren’t helping.

“I’m not gay!” He yelled.

Uchiha didn’t seem perturbed by what was going on, so Naruto rounded on him. “What do you know about this?!” He demanded, grabbing Uchiha by the collar.

“You know as much as I do, Uzumaki-san,” he smiled. It just made Naruto want to rip that fake mask off.

Grinding his teeth, Naruto was about to drag Sasuke outside when the teacher came walking in on time.

“Settle down,” Kakashi called out in a bored tone over Nara telling the class to stand and bow. With the teacher’s appearance, Naruto was forced to take a seat as well. How was he going to explain this particular incident to Sakura?

“I have some sad news today,” Kakashi said. “Gaara-kun will not be joining us for the rest of the year. He has transferred back to his home country due to personal reasons.”

The news was more like a bombshell. Gaara had said nothing about returning home. He hated it there. Resented it even. Question after question ran through Naruto’s head. He knew Gaara was going through something, but he had thought Gaara would have come to him in time. To leave without saying a word, hurt. He had thought they were closer than that.

No one particularly seemed upset about the news, and that in ruffled Naruto’s feathers. Him he understood, but Gaara deserved better.

The oppressive atmosphere didn’t lighten up even after class started. Kakashi even seemed to be paying attention to him more often than usual. There was nothing he could do about it. He sat there, bearing the unwanted attention while thinking how exactly he would get into contact with Gaara. He didn’t know which country he had come from or his full name. Gaara had essentially dropped off the face of the earth.

As time went on, Naruto could only come up with one solution to his current dilemma, and he wasn’t going to like it one bit.

* * *

“ _Hello, Sasuke_ ,” Deidara practically sang in French. From the tone of his voice, Sasuke was 100% positive he knew why he was calling.

“ _I must admit Deidara your resources are quite impressive. It’s a shame you squander it over useless pranks_ ,” the French flowed fluently from his lips with little effort. It was comfortable and familiar. Only English was better suited for him than French, and it felt good to be using it again.

“ _Keep praising me, I like it_ ,” he laughed. “ _But it wasn’t as big as you think. I only recalled and changed the cover for the shipment to that island. I call it ‘Naruto’s coming out party’_.”

_“There was no need. I announced Naruto joining us to one of the underlings the day we came. I’m sure they were all aware of it before they saw the magazine.”_

_“Perhaps, but don’t you think this way is classier?”_

_“Closer to a slap in the face perhaps.”_ Sasuke mused, leaning against the shoe lockers. He was waiting for Naruto to come back after being dragged off by his girlfriend after classes. _“Naruto isn’t pleased by this either. Japan is not as open about sexuality as France is. You may as well have printed a nude photo.”_

_“The body is a beautiful thing. If they can’t recognize art when they see it, then they have no use but to be my dinner.”_

Sasuke noticed Uzumaki coming towards him, one of his cheeks bright red and swelling. _“I have to go. Take care, Deidara.”_ He hung up, just as Uzumaki stopped in front of him.

Uzumaki had a determined look on his face, so Sasuke waited for the inevitable question.

“Um, Uchiha-san…” he started.

“Whatever it is, the answer is no.” Sasuke shot him down before he could finish, instead fishing out his shoes from his locker.

“How do you know if I even want something or not.” Uzumaki whined which only caused Sasuke to look at him with skepticism.

“You never once used my name before, let alone use an honorific. Therefore, you want something. Or am I wrong?”

Uzumaki puffed out his chest, crossing his arms and holding his ground. “Alright,” he said. “I admit it. I want something, but you could at least hear me out.”

“Why should I?” Sasuke countered. “I don’t get anything out of helping you.”

“Can’t you think of it as charity?”

Sasuke bent over to put on his shoes. “What is it then?”

Uzumaki didn’t blurt out his request, in contrast with the way Naruto came marching over, demanding to be heard. He fell silent, biting his lip.

“Speak up, idiot, I don’t have all day.”

Sasuke’s harsh words was enough to motivate him to ask, stopping Uzumaki from thinking too much on it and encouraging him to just act on his impulses. “Can you find Gaara, and then take me to see him?”

Once again, Sasuke was curious as to what relationship these two had. It went beyond friends, but it wasn’t that of lovers either. Naruto seemed as concerned and protective over Gaara as Gaara was of him.

That aside, Uzumaki’s request wasn’t impossible, but Sasuke would have to call in some favors with people he rather not get involved with. “I can, but I don’t see what I get out of it.”

Uzumaki’s lips thinned. They both knew there was nothing Uzumaki can offer to cover such a request.

“How about 1 million yen?” Hyuuga interjected.

Uzumaki, as predictable as he was, was ready to go on the defensive just hearing Hyuuga’s voice. As the fledgling prepared a harsh remark, he was taken back by Hyuuga’s appearance. He looked like he had crawled from the gates of hell. His skin was pale, under his eyes looked bruised, his left cheek was bruised, and his hair was out of its ponytail, frayed and tangled. Even his clothes looked a day or two old.

“Will 1 million do?” He asked again, his voice tired and defeated. “If you need more, I’ll scrap something together. I just ask that you take me with you.”

The hostility that had been temporarily lost found its way back into Naruto’s being. “Why? So you can mess with Gaara some more? I’ve been wondering why he left, but it’s because you did something to him, isn’t it?” Uzumaki growled as guilt seeped into Hyuuga’s expression. “What did you do? Blackmail? Frame him?”

Sasuke put a hand on Naruto’s shoulder, stopping his advance before Uzumaki could lay his hands on Hyuuga. He didn’t feel like stopping a rampaging, overprotective fledgling today.

“1 million is fine. Meet me at my house at 6 pm. I’m sure you know where my mansion is.”

Hyuuga nodded though his mind seemed elsewhere. “I’ll be there.”

Uzumaki protested as Sasuke dragged him away by the arm. “Stop complaining. He’s paying for you to see your little friend. The nice thing you can do is let him come along.”

“But it’s because of him that Gaara left. I just know it.”

“And you’re accusing him without any evidence. How is that different than the people who do that to you?” The comment caused Uzumaki to quiet down. “Go to the car. I’ll be there in a moment.”

Uzumaki looked ready to protest again but seemed to remember that he had asked the favor just a moment ago so left obediently without a fuss. Really, Uzumaki was much more trouble than he was worth. Especially since he was going to ask the person who would rather chew off his arm than tell him anything.

Sighing, he pulled out his cellphone. 1 million wasn’t nearly enough for the headache this was going to cost him.


	12. Chapter 12

Hyuuga was more than early. He had practically come home with them once Uchiha had finished his business. When asked if he needed to pack anything, Hyuuga shook his head, carrying only a small sports bag.

Naruto packed a small bag as well, not that he had brought much to the mansion to begin with. He was still bitter about Hyuuga coming, but as they took the ferry to the mainland and then boarded the private plane, Naruto observed him like a hawk.

Hyuuga was quiet, not saying a word since asking to join them. Hyuuga wasn’t really the talkative type which was why it had always been out of the ordinary for Hyuuga to constantly pick fights with him. Fights he could never really win. He’d say a few words to make sure Naruto was riled up, and not really do anything after that. It was like… he was doing it for attention.

Pursing his lips, Naruto got out of his seat, disappearing into the airplane bathroom for a few seconds, returning with a cold rag. Uchiha was sitting in the back, typing away on a computer. Supposedly this was his private plane. It had limited seats but a lot of room to move around.

When Naruto asked about where they were going before they left, Uchiha just raised an eyebrow asking if he had a passport. Naruto, of course, answered in the negative, receiving a “then you don’t need to know” from Uchiha. Normally, Naruto would have been angry about it, but he had a sense that Uchiha couldn’t say anything. Uchiha had looked tense when he had asked. All he knew was that it would be a 12-hour flight to their destination.

Sitting in the seat next to Hyuuga, he offered the rag silently.

Hyuuga took the rag, offering a small thanks and pressing it gingerly to his cheek.

They both sat next to each other for the rest of the flight in silence. Naruto got up one more time to change the rag, but other than that, neither ate nor slept, each preoccupied with their own problems.

The plane landed without a hitch. Stepping out, Naruto was greeted with hot, dry weather, and there was sand as far as the eye could see. So, Gaara really did come from a place like this.

A car was waiting for them when they arrived, its windows heavily tinted. That ride took an additional hour to their destination.

Naruto knew Gaara was rich, so he expected a large mansion with a bunch of land and servants. The reality was a bit more disappointing.

It was a nice house with modern architecture and a lot of glass windows, and there was a gate and fence around it, but the fence was just enough to surround the perimeter of the building and contain a small yard, and the house itself was not ridiculously huge. It was on the more modest side. Enough to know the owner had money, but not flaunt it.

The person who answered the door wasn’t a servant either. He was a well-dressed man in his mid-twenties. At the sight of Naruto and his two companions, his face became immediately disapproving. He asked something in what Naruto assumed was Arabic.

He looked at Uchiha who stood in the back, completely disinterested in what was going on.

It was Hyuuga who answered him. It was clumsy and sounded rehearsed. The man frowned, staring at Hyuuga as if he was the bane of the world. Turning his head, the man yelled to the second floor. “Gaara!” He then allowed them inside the house to wait in the foyer.

There was an uncomfortable silence as they waited. The man didn’t move a single muscle as he appraised them. Still dressed in their school uniforms, Naruto supposed it gave him a better impression than his casual clothing which normally consisted of a sleeveless shirt and cargo shorts.

A soft, groggy voice came from the second floor that overlooked the area down below. The words may have been in another language, but Naruto recognized that voice anywhere.

Gaara stood looking as if he had rolled out of bed. Given the time, Gaara probably was in bed. With another quiet murmur, Gaara spoke to the man.

The man’s frown deepened but responded in kind, walking around the group of visitors and out the door.

“Forgive my brother, he’s not fond of strangers.” Gaara’s eyes glanced at Naruto then at Hyuuga. His shoulders sagged likes a mother’s would when seeing the mess her children have caused. “What are you doing here?”

“What do you mean, what are we doing here? You just upped and left school without telling anyone.”

Gaara let slip a small sigh. Putting a hand on the banister, he leaped over it, jumping down to the front floor. Rather than be surprised, Naruto was used to Gaara’s abilities. He had learned some martial arts from him after all. Not much, but enough to protect himself from untrained fighters.

Hyuuga didn’t seem surprised either, though he did take one step back.

Gaara watched Hyuuga’s small retreat and said nothing to him. “I felt it was best to return to my home country.” With weak movements, Gaara waved them further inside. “I’ll assume you have no place to stay. You can stay for the rest of the night, but I expect you to leave in the morning.”

“Gaara,” Naruto grabbed Gaara’s shoulder, forcing him to turn around. “What’s going on? You can tell me you know.”

Gaara’s green eyes met Naruto’s blue ones, but it didn’t last long. Gaara shifted his gaze away almost immediately, brushing Naruto’s hands away from him. “I’m sure you’re hungry. There should be some leftovers in the fridge.”

Watching Gaara walk away felt like Gaara was shutting a door in his face. Loneliness was wrapped around Gaara like a blanket, using it to keep his distance as he had when they had first met. He didn’t know how to break that bubble around him. He never did, no matter what he did.

All he could do was follow him into the kitchen where some chairs were placed at the counter. Naruto took a seat as did Hyuuga two seats down. Uchiha remained standing near the door. “So… you’re Middle Eastern,” Naruto began, not noticing how Gaara tensed. “Are you Muslim?”

Hyuuga sent him a small glare though Naruto didn’t know why? No one else was offering conversation, and he really did want to know more about Gaara. It wasn’t like Gaara could deny it being here.

“I’m an atheist.” Gaara stopped the flow of conversation with that sentence. He moved around the kitchen, pulling out plates and warming food he had retrieved from the refrigerator.

He should have thought this over more. Naruto had begged Uchiha to bring him and came unannounced without so much as a gift. No matter how worried he was, he should have taken Gaara’s feelings into consideration. It was obvious Gaara didn’t want him to know where he lived or that he wanted to leave.

Gaara placed a plate in front of Naruto and Hyuuga. “It’s called shawarma,” he supplied to Naruto’s confused face. “Just eat it.”

Naruto poked at his food, trying to figure out something to say. Traveling presumably half-way across the world, and he hadn’t thought to come up with conversation. Hyuuga wasn’t much help either. He was just obediently eating as Gaara told him to.

Not sure of what to do, a thought occurred to him, and before he could think twice, words started to leave his mouth like a river. It felt natural, even right, in this situation.

“Skin as smooth and bright as the finest porcelain. Hair as dark as a moonless night. A song nor portrait could capture the beauty that you radiate. Every move, every gesture, nature responds in kind. A goddess in mind or heart, how can I bear to make my presence known to you? For I am but a humble soldier, not ever meant to be graced by your gentle smile. Your back is all I should ever know. My life, forfeit at the first sign of danger.

“But the gods are cruel, cursing my slumber with visions of you. My thoughts, my heart, are anything but pure. But I had hardened my resolve, to keep such secrets to my grave, but you… you must be gifted with second sight, for you always see me. Me who should be invisible to you.

“I have no right to speak to you. No right to look at you. But I am only human, nay, a simple man. If you reach out to me, how can I not want to drag you into my awaiting arms? Must I kill my heart, make it bleed until I am no longer human so that I may stay at your side? Should death not be more merciful? And yet, for you, I am willing. Willing to suffer. Willing to endure. Just send me one more smile, one more laugh to soothe my wounded heart. For I am but your bodyguard and you, my princess. No human nor demon shall ever harm you.

“For as I did in life, in death I spend protecting you, loving you, waiting for the day you and I can cross over together.”

Naruto stopped in his storytelling, rubbing the back of his head embarrassed. The feeling of pen across paper was different than an oral story, and he preferred the former. He enjoyed the way his hand flew across paper, expressing words elegantly that he could never do in real life. Hearing them aloud, sounded clumsy in his ears, and lacked the elegance of cursive on paper. “Sorry. It’s not one of my better ones.”

A small gentle smile lit up Gaara’s face as he chuckled softly. “Did you just make that one up?”

Naruto nodded. “I just thought that maybe… you’re always reading so… sorry if it wasn’t any good.”

“No, it’s quite like you,” Gaara replied. His expression was gentler and slightly brighter, making Naruto feel that perhaps the embarrassment was worth it.

Grinning, Naruto took a bite of his shawarma, noting the new taste with interest. “It’s weird, it kind of felt nostalgic somehow. You sure we didn’t meet in another life or something.”

Naruto hadn’t meant anything by it, but Gaara looked away as he usually did when he wasn’t telling him something. The question stuck in Naruto’s throat begging to be asked. Instead, he said, “This is the part where you tell me it’s part of my imagination and that I should be eating rather than talking.”

The smile that had been genuine was now more strained and everyone could see it.

“You’re imagining things. Shut up and eat.” Gaara followed the instruction to the letter, and it left a bitter taste in Naruto’s mouth.

“Can I offer you something, Uchiha? I’m sure I have something that runs along your taste.” As polite as the words were, the tone in which Gaara said them sounded more accusing.

Coming over to the counter, Uchiha just smiled. “Don’t trouble yourself, Gaara-san. Don’t bleed anyone out for my account. I wouldn’t want to unnerve the children with my eating habits.”

Gaara’s eyes darted to Hyuuga who scooted to the end of his seat, away from Uchiha. “Why bother pretending to hide something you obviously don’t want hidden.”

“Wait! How do you know about him?” Naruto interjected, clearly distressed.

“Inuzuka,” Gaara replied. Again, the feeling that it wasn’t the whole truth assaulted Naruto, but he held his tongue. “When you’re done eating, I’ll show you to your rooms.”

“Actually, I’m not very hungry,” Naruto said, pushing the plate away from him. “Lead the way.”

There were enough rooms for each guest to get his own. Gaara didn’t point out which one was his, but he put Uchiha on one side of the house while Naruto had the room on the other side, Hyuuga was across the hall from him.

“If you need anything, call,” it was just Naruto and Gaara, the others already in their assigned room.

Before Gaara could leave Naruto had to ask, “Gaara… We’re friends, right?”

Stopped, the red-headed boy nodded and quietly said, “Of course we are, Uzumaki.”

“If that’s true, you know you can tell me anything. I won’t get mad. Whatever it is.” It almost sounded like a plea. Naruto had no other way to get across to Gaara that he was here. That he would do whatever he could to help him.

“I know I can,” Gaara replied. “Goodnight, Uzumaki.”

“Naruto. Call me Naruto, already.”

There was a brief silence then, “Goodnight, Uzumaki,” left Gaara’s lips before he left, leaving Naruto behind.

* * *

“We’ve located him.”

Itachi lent only half an ear to the announcement, focusing on the cup of tea in his lap. “He’s on a plane heading to the Oita prefecture,” he said.

Kisame, the person who had brought his message sat across from him, plopping onto the couch and putting his feet on the glass table. “Why bother telling me to look when you always already know?”

“Confirmation,” Itachi said without hesitating. “If one thing goes astray, it could ruin everything.”

Kisame snorted with derision. “Not a very good plan then.”

“That is what contingency plans are for, but it is impossible to account for everything.” Itachi placed the tea onto the table. “Though it is unexpected that Uzumaki-san would move in with my little brother. Perhaps them meeting was fate.”

“Won’t that put a kink in your plans?”

“On the contrary, I believe this will help. I don’t even think our opponent would have considered such an outcome either. Is your schedule free?”

“If it wasn’t, you’d make me free it anyway, not that I have a life since I got involved with you.”

“I made a small change to my plans,” completely ignoring Kisame’s comment. “Now then, shall we go?”

> * * *

As promised, once sunrise came, Naruto left. He couldn’t even negotiate to stay longer as Gaara’s brother had thrown him out the door. Hyuuga didn’t go with them. In fact, Naruto hadn’t seen hide nor tail of Hyuuga since the night before.

Of course, Naruto wanted to protest, but Uchiha just picked him up by the scruff of his collar and carried him out. Naruto wasn’t even mad, which was a bit alarming at how used he was getting to being manhandled by Uchiha. There was no use getting angry when Uchiha was so much stronger than him, so he settled for sulking the entire flight home.

They did take a detour though. They came in through Haneda airport and went into the city. Being on an island his entire life, seeing a city like Tokyo was an experience he couldn’t describe. It was well after midnight, but there were still so many people out enjoying the nightlife even with the short downpour of heavy rain.

That was because they were in the nightlife district, filled with questionable establishments that most normal Japanese citizens would deny ever setting foot in. The street was lined with host clubs, bars, casinos, and love hotels. It was something out of a movie, and Naruto was fascinated by it all. Naruto didn’t stand out here nearly as much as he did at home, though his blonde hair still gained him several glances.

“What are we doing here?” Naruto finally asked when led to what looked to be a host club. “You know I’m underage, right?”

“As a person in the midst of a change, it is the sire’s responsibility to register them with the council. Failure to do so can result in both of our deaths.”

Naruto felt a knot in his throat as he asked. “Why’s that?”

“Too many immortals unchecked leads to too many of our kind causing trouble. So, we have a council that governs our overall affairs and enforces the cardinal rules they put into place. The sooner I register you, the better it will be.” Uchiha opened the door to the club. “After you.”

Rolling his eyes, Naruto went in. It was a host club. There was a line of well-dressed men waiting to greet them. All of them greeted Uchiha by name, making Naruto wonder just how often Uchiha came to this club.

“It’s not what you think,” Uchiha said. His denial may have been convincing if it weren’t for the fact every host was catering to him, taking his jacket, asking how he was, and offering him a meal for the night.

“Of course not,” Naruto said sarcastically when a host literally offered a silver tray with a tobacco pipe on it.

It may have been just Naruto, but he swore a host or two glared at him.

“This is an immortal establishment. They cater to immortal needs.” With a wave of his hand, all of them dispersed. “Which brings me to my next point. Whatever you do, don’t talk to anyone, don’t move, and don’t start a fight. Deidara has his men on a leash, but there is no one to stop people from killing you here if you piss them off.”

“Yeah, yeah. I get it. Stop worrying so much. You make me more nervous than your stupid warnings.”

“I’m serious.”

“So am I.”

Uchiha’s lips thinned as if he wasn’t sure what to do with Naruto at that moment. Relenting, Uchiha led him to a booth. “Sit here. I’ll be back as soon as I can.”

Naruto restrained an eye roll until Uchiha finally left. Really, Uchiha was way too controlling sometimes. Granted, Naruto didn’t know this world, but it was a little stifling at times.

The establishment was nice, on the higher end. The hosts were very well dressed, and the furniture and chandeliers matched the upper-class atmosphere. Most of the clientele were women with a few men here and there, but overall, there was no indication the club was for vampires. The only thing strange was that there was no food and the liquid in the glasses was thicker than it should have been.

It took a grand total of ten minutes before Naruto could no longer stand being in one spot. He stood up, heading to the door, pulling out a cigarette and lighter in the process.

It was late at night and establishments were starting to close. There were still people wandering the streets, but there were considerably less compared to earlier. Even the sign on the club window said it would be closing in a half hour or so.

Naruto received a few looks, probably due to his age, but thankfully no one bothered him. He could light up his cigarette in peace. He wasn’t a heavy smoker. He could go a couple of days even a week without a smoke. Essentially, he only lit up when he was extremely stressed, and he hadn’t had the opportunity to do so since meeting Uchiha.

He took a long drag, letting the nicotine relax his shoulders and ease tension from his body. Then he exhaled, watching the smoke float up into the night sky. Perhaps he should quit smoking. He had told Jiraiya and Tsunade he had left to better himself. While he had said it as an excuse, he did want to be better than what he was. He just didn’t know how to go about doing it, and he wondered, was it too late to change when he wasn’t even going to be human soon?

After another long drag, he decided no it wasn’t. Even if it was just a little bit, if it could ease his guardian’s life just a little bit, he should put in the effort. Maybe then, Gaara would have enough confidence in Naruto to rely on him more.

He looked for a nearby ashtray, not fond of littering no matter where he was. He rarely finished entire cigarettes, but today he decided to quit so he wasn’t going to hesitate just to get a couple more drags in.

“Hey, are you Uzumaki, Naruto?”

Immediately, Naruto’s senses were on alert. How could anyone all the way out here know who he was?

The man who had called out to him stood out. His skin held a blue-gray tinge to it that reminded one of a corpse, and his hair appeared to be a dark blue in color.

If the color of his skin wasn’t enough to stand out, then his height would have. He was nearing if not over 200 centimeters in height, and he wasn’t even wearing shoes. He had broad shoulders and a toned body that made Naruto think of a warrior at first glance. His clothes consisted of tight black leather. His shirt was sleeveless, showing off his arms and the wide, metal bracelet on each wrist. They didn’t look like a fashion statement either as he didn’t wear any other piece of jewelry.

“Who wants to know?” Naruto asked. The hairs on the back of his neck were standing on end.

**You better run, kit.**

_Wha-?_

The next thing Naruto knew, he was doubled over in pain. He clutched his stomach, gasping for the air that had been punched out of him. Before Naruto could even realize what had happened, the man pulled him up by his shirt, forcing him to stand.

“You don’t seem like someone so special. You seem so . . . human,” the man sounded amused with a dark sense of humor lacing his tone.

“Maybe ‘cause I am, you crazy bastard,” Naruto wheezed, glaring at him through the pain.

“Sure you are,” he smirked. “But you do have some guts to look at me like that,” he shoved him back.

Naruto fell against the side of the building, but it felt more like he was slammed.

“Well kid, let’s see what you got.” He grounded his feet. “If you can that is.”

“I thought you’d never ask.” It was more talk than he would have liked. He still hadn’t recovered from that punch and shove, but Naruto had a strong feeling the stranger wasn’t going to wait for him to recover.

He brought his fists up like he was taught. He couldn’t see this ending well. A common delinquent like him would probably not be a challenge for him. Maybe he should have begged Gaara for more lessons, but Jiraiya and Tsunade seemed firmly against it, so he hadn’t pushed.

Naruto ran up to him, throwing a jab at his face. The man dodged it with ease and returned with a jab of his own, in the same place where he had attacked Naruto before, but much, much harder. Naruto felt something snap, probably a rib, and blood came out of his mouth as he flew back into the wall. His training kept him from hitting his head, but it hardly mattered. The building material had given in on impact, cracking the wall.

Naruto fell to the ground in pain, hardly able to move. From the pain, he could tell his clavicle had broken as well as another rib. His back was heavily bruised, and it hurt to move his head.

His teeth clenched through the pain, and he tried to stand, his legs shaking.

“I’m kind of disappointed.” The man said walking up to him. “I expected more from a container.” He kicked Naruto again in the stomach, and Naruto coughed up even more blood. Naruto fell back to the ground.

“I guess it can’t be helped. Maybe we’ll be luckier with a new container,” the man didn’t seem disappointed. A twisted smile was on his face as he looked down at him.

Naruto didn’t know when, maybe when his vision had whited out for a moment or two from pain, the man held a great sword in his hand that he easily wielded with one hand. The blade was wider than it should have been for a sword that size as the weight should have made it impractical, but he aimed it at him with little to no effort.

He lifted the sword above his head. “It’s nothing personal, kid. Just following orders.”

Fear numbed Naruto’s body. Was this it? Was going to die by some guy he had never even met? He knew he had done a lot of bad things, but did it warrant him a death sentence? His body shook, and he closed his eyes, awaiting the final blow.

_I don’t want to die._

**Who said you had to die?**

The world around Naruto faded out where only darkness remained. A vague image of a man appeared in his mind. It was so blurry that Naruto couldn’t make out a single detail except for flaming red-orange hair and a Japanese Yukata. **I can save us.**

_How can you? You aren’t real. You don’t really exist._

**Do I seem like a figment of your imagination?** Power wafted off the man in waves like water and licked at Naruto like flames. **I could give you the strength. Just give me control.**

 _Do you think I’m stupid?_ Naruto bit out. _You’re the part of me that hurts people, right? You’d probably keep my body to yourself._

 **Yes or no, kit.** Red eyes stared through the matted hair, glowing in the darkness. They were the eyes of an animal. **He’s starting to swing.** The man smiled revealing fangs, sure of what Naruto would choose.

The sword came down hard and fast; it may as well have been in slow motion. With blue eyes now red, Naruto caught the blade with a single hand. Surprise flitted over the man’s face.

With little force, Naruto pushed the blade back, causing the man to stumble, but he regained him footing quickly, readying for another attack.

Naruto’s once pure blond hair was now tinged with strands of orange. He stood, wiping the rubble and dirt from his clothes without an ounce of pain on his face. A crooked smile full of malevolence covered his face. He tilted his head to both sides, cracking his neck then rolling his left shoulder, flexing his hand.

“ **That was some punch. You actually broke a few of my bones.”** Naruto licked the blood of his lips, and his smirk widened. **“Now, let’s have a real fight, shall we?”**

The moment the man blinked Naruto had disappeared from his view.

A soft splash was heard from behind him, and he moved his sword to cover his back just in time to block the attack. A loud crack was heard where the fist had connected. Cursing, the man dropped the sword and jumped back to put space between them. There was a large crack in the metal of his sword, and Naruto stood shaking his hand as if it was a small sting despite his knuckles dripping blood. They were obviously shattered, but Naruto didn’t seem to notice at all.

Naruto raised his fists again, daring the man to come at him with a smug smirk.

The man smiled in return. He ran at him throwing a serious of punches and kicks which Naruto evaded, his grin never leaving his face. Right, left, jump back, parry, duck. It was done effortlessly, and the man’s own smile grew as the assault continued. He didn’t think fighting the brat would be so much fun.

Naruto caught one of the kicks, countering with one of his own, connecting with the man’s jaw. He fell, skidding a few feet across the asphalt and rolled onto his feet before he came to a stop, ready to continue the fight. He took the time to wipe thick blood from his lips.

Neither one of them moved, engaged in a staredown to see who would make the next move.

“Uzumaki!”

Sasuke had come out of the club, standing at the entrance. His face was stoic, and his eyes were shifting between the man and Naruto constantly.

He had heard the ruckus from inside the building, and he had assumed Naruto had ended up in a fight with one of the patrons. However, someone had told him about the commotion outside, so it wasn’t something he could ignore.

With only a glance, Sasuke could tell that the man was some type of ghoul. Not the standard one. Something a bit stronger and sturdier. A hybrid perhaps. It was Naruto’s state however that drew concern. Naruto’s features had changed again, and from the way Naruto looked at him in response, he knew it wasn’t Naruto in control.

Naruto glanced at him then raised his fists higher, preparing for another attack as did his opponent. Neither seemed to care or notice that their fight had drawn employees out from their businesses and stopped stragglers on their way home to see the commotion or that they were in the middle of the street, cars stopped on both sides. Neither seemed to care, too engrossed in their fight to worry about onlookers.

Before either could continue, another interference occurred.

“Kisame-san, that is more than enough.” A raven-haired man stepped out from the crowd. His voice wasn’t loud but had pierced through the crowd’s chatter.

Naruto’s eyes drifted to the man. He looked like Sasuke. There was no mistaking the resemblance, but this man carried himself completely different. He felt like an aristocrat. His long raven hair was neatly pulled back in a low ponytail. His posture was ramrod straight and he moved with grace. His clothes were also perfectly pressed, wearing a three-piece suit. At first glance, you would think he was in the wrong time period.

There was also something about him that pulled people, and his aura unlike, Sasuke and Deidara, was almost nonexistent. You couldn’t feel how strong or how deadly he was just by looking at him. The biggest difference between Sasuke and this man was the lack of emotion. His eyes were as dead as a corpse, detracting from what would otherwise be a gorgeous individual. It was unsettling. He was like a walking, breathing doll.

There was no question of who he was. Naruto had seen the portrait only days before and he looked too similar to Sasuke to deny a connection between them.

“Uzumaki, don’t look into his eyes,” Sasuke growled as Itachi came forward. He wanted to put himself between Naruto and his brother, but with Naruto’s current state, Naruto might attack him as well.

Naruto’s eyes followed Itachi’s every move. The lack of presence put him on edge. The man named Kisame had backed down immediately once ordered. That man had to be his boss, meaning he had to be more powerful though he didn’t seem to be.

Itachi picked up the sword Kisame had dropped, examining the blade before looking at Naruto then at his younger brother who was walking towards them. Naruto stared back, not blinking.

“Little brother,” he bowed his head in greeting. 

“Itachi,” Sasuke spat with venom dripping from his voice. Since Naruto wasn’t paying him much attention, he was carefully getting closer to the fledgling. “If you have come for me, I will go with you but leave him out of this. He had nothing to do with me.”

“Who said he did?” was the emotionless reply. “My every waking moment is not thoughts of you, though it does not appear to be the case for you, is it?”

Sasuke ground his teeth. He was seething, his anger causing his fist to shake. His restraint was thin, the only thing holding him back was Naruto’s safety and a large number of onlookers around them. Reason was barely enough to contain him. He wanted to let go. He wanted Itachi to give him a reason to fly off the handle. He was so close, closer than he had ever been. This could be his one and only chance to get revenge.

“Kisame-san, we are done here for today. Let us leave before unwanted attention arrives.”

Kisame huffed, grabbing his sword from him, clicking his tongue with annoyance at the damage it had taken. “You always get in the way when I’m finally having fun.”

Itachi ignored him and, to Sasuke’s annoyance, him as well. With growing fury, Sasuke watched as Itachi walked away, who not even concerned about him. The crowd parted for Takeshi, allowing him to pass.

He was getting away. After over a hundred years of searching, he was in his grasp for the first time. Sasuke took a step to follow after him.

Then he was hit was the strong smell of blood, reminding him that Naruto had been injured.

Naruto’s eyes had faded back to blue, and his hair had turned mostly back to blond though a few orange strands still remained. His breathing turned to short pants and pain contorted his face. Sasuke had barely caught him before he completely collapsed.

With one more glance at his brother’s escape route, Sasuke cursed. He picked up Naruto’s semi-conscious form in his arms and hurried to his car. He could hear the sound of sirens approaching.

He sped out of the area before the cops could arrive, going back to the airport. It was quicker to fly to Oita rather than to take the train, and he couldn’t take Naruto on the train looking as he did anyway.

He glanced over at Naruto who groaned in pain. He had to take another look to confirm what he had seen. Naruto was healing at an accelerated pace. Even if Naruto was turning, it would be impossible to heal that fast until after his turn was complete.

“Damn asshole,” Naruto muttered weakly under his breath. His eyes were barely open and glazed over. Sasuke couldn’t tell who he was talking about whether him or his brother.

“Are you okay, Uzumaki?” he asked when Naruto’s expressions started changing from angry to puzzled then to irritated.

“Yeah…I’m fine,” he drawled. “Just having a conversation with myself.” Naruto’s eyes grew heavier and heavier until they finally drifted shut.

By the time Naruto had fallen asleep, he had returned back to normal completely and the accelerated healing had slowed to a crawl.

Sasuke frowned. Itachi had not returned for him, but for Uzumaki. Why?

It wasn’t a coincidence another ghoul had found and picked a fight with Uzumaki. The first one had to have been working for his brother too, but why was Itachi wasting his time sending ghouls to do something he could finish so easily? Itachi was interested in Naruto but obviously didn’t want to kill him. Why? Why did Sasori know about Naruto already?

And then there was the council assistant Sasuke had talked to today. When attempting to get Naruto registered, the assistant had informed him Naruto was already entered into the database. He wouldn’t give any details as to why a human would be registered with the database, but logically speaking, Naruto should have known about the supernatural world before Sasuke got involved in his life, yet he knew nothing.

At least today he discovered how Naruto survived the first encounter with a ghoul. He had been unsure before due to the volatile nature, but today, Naruto had seemed in control of whatever power he possessed. Or rather, the power seemed to be in complete control. Like another consciousness had taken over. Was that the cause of everything? What was it?

Sasuke parked the car and leaned on the steering wheel.

When he drank Naruto’s blood, it had tasted entirely human. His body was human. It wasn’t a hybrid of any sort. His blood was a little unusual, but not out of the ordinary. He didn’t survive off blood or show any other traits with any other supernatural being that he was aware of. A demon maybe, but even then it didn’t make sense. Naruto acted like he was possessed by some sort of animal spirit the other day, but today, he seemed like another person altogether.

He looked at the sleeping boy in the passenger seat. He looked peaceful and calm, not self-conscious or guarded as he was when he was awake. “You’re more trouble than you’re worth, aren’t you?”

Naruto’s head fell forward, making it look like a nod.

A small smile spread on Sasuke’s lips, his gaze softening and muttering a gentle, “Idiot.”


	13. Training Begins

Uzumaki stayed unconscious the entire ride home. Sasuke had a feeling it had more to do with the flight more than his injuries. Naruto had slept only 4 hours at Gaara’s home and was awake on the trip there and back and awake the entire day before they had left.

Sasuke picked Uzumaki up from the car and carried him inside.

“Should I prepare something for him to eat?” Tobi asked, holding the door for his master.

With a brief nod, Sasuke went up the stairs to Naruto’s room, placing the teen in his bed. He was looking at the limited selection of clothing for something suitable to change him into when he heard Uzumaki begin to stir.

Picking out an undershirt and a pair of shorts, he draped them over his shoulder and prepared a rag and a bowl of hot water. Uzumaki was just waking when Sasuke returned. “Finally, awake?”

Uzumaki’s blue eyes peaked out from under blond lashes, lazily locking onto Sasuke. “…No,” he replied, closing his eyes.

A smile twitched onto Sasuke’s face against his will. Sitting down beside Uzumaki, he removed the blood and dirt covered blazer and shirt, depositing it onto the floor. “You’re pretty gutsy to be covered in blood in front of a vampire.” Sasuke made the comment off-handedly but there was some truth in what he said. He hadn’t actually breathed since Tokyo. Naruto’s blood was still very tempting to him and catching a whiff had made his fangs forcibly extend.

“What’s life…if you don’t live a bit dangerously…now and then,” Uzumaki joked, though he was still drifting in and out of sleep.

“A safe one.” With a damp cloth, he wiped down Naruto’s torso of the blood and grime, inspecting Naruto’s injuries as he did so. There was heavy bruising and swelling around his clavicle and abdomen, but they seemed to be in the late stages of healing.

Naruto’s hand, which had the most blood on it, was mostly back to normal, the skin closed with just a bit of redness and tenderness left.

“Shouldn’t you ask… before holding my hand, bastard?”

Sasuke just lifted an eyebrow. “Didn’t know you were such a girl. And after we shared a kiss too.”

Uzumaki woke up a bit more at that becoming flustered. “Th-that was… that didn’t count.”

“What? Was that your first kiss or something?” It was meant to be teasing, but Naruto’s face turned bright red as he looked away. “You really are a girl.”

Uzumaki managed to kick him which was an impressive feat given his worn-out state; it got a chuckle out of Sasuke. A kiss really wasn’t a big deal to him. Living so much time in Europe over the century, kissing was a greeting to him. 

However, there were some memories from when he was human when his father, who had grown up in the Edo period, was unnerved by handshakes. Even while living in England, his father refused to get used to some English customs, keeping to his traditional Japanese roots, and instead had his sons learn in his place. Well, at least Japan had grown accustomed to handshakes to an extent, though limited to foreigners and closing business transactions.

Sasuke really couldn’t call Japan home. While fluent in Japanese due to his parents, it had grown rusty and it was uncomfortable to use. He was more accustomed to English and French and he would call them his first languages if asked even though they weren’t. He couldn’t even read the majority of kanji, the reason why he was failing the majority of his classwork. He may as well be called a foreigner.

Uzumaki seemed to pick up some Western behavior, probably from Tsunade and a few of his classmates, which made it difficult to remember that he wasn’t. Moments like this, getting embarrassed over something like a kiss, were entertaining to Sasuke. He couldn’t help but make fun of him for it. What did they call it here? Gap moe?

Leaning forward, Sasuke carefully felt the back of Uzumaki’s head to feel for any bumps. He didn’t expect to find any if the healing of Naruto’s body had anything to say, but he was thorough with whatever task he did. Uzumaki made sure to avoid eye contact during the entire process.

“Do you have to be so close?” Uzumaki murmured under his breath. The flush had reached the fledgling’s ears

“I wouldn’t have to do this if you stayed put like I told you.” Sasuke tried to ignore the heat radiating off Uzumaki’s skin or how soft his hair was. Lips thinning, he pulled away as soon as he confirmed there was no damage he could see.

“It was too stuffy in there,” Uzumaki muttered, sulking.

“Next time, just listen,” Sasuke’s voice took a slightly sharper edge, both in warning and out of his own discomfort.

There was a brief knock on the door before opening to reveal Tobi with a silver tray and a bowl of rice porridge.

“I prepared some rice porridge for Uzumaki-sama. I thought something easy to digest will help him get his energy back.” Tobi took a knee, offering the tray.

“Do you have the strength to sit up?” Sasuke asked, taking the bowl.

“I’m not really hungry.” Uzumaki was still looking off to the side, but he was no longer embarrassed. More like he was trying to avoid something.

Since Sasuke knew that Uzumaki hadn’t eaten much in the last 36 hours minus a few bites at Gaara’s, Sasuke decided to give him a little push. “Should I blow on it and say ‘ahn, ahn’.”

As expected, Uzumaki’s pride got him sitting up, with some difficulty. “That’s disgusting. If you were a cute girl on the other hand….”

“Should I invite your girlfriend then?” Sasuke asked dryly, handing over the bowl.

Uzumaki muttered something, stirring the contents of the bowl.

“I can’t say I’m surprised. You kept ditching her, and you didn’t seem very interested. I’d have dumped you too.”

“No one asked for your opinion, bastard.”

Uzumaki took a bite of the porridge and then there was a hard gulp as if he had to force himself. The spoon lowered to the bowl slowly then continued to stir it for a little while. He struggled to keep his face neutral, and he was failing.

Sasuke had his suspicions, but this confirmed it. “You can’t taste it, can you?”

Uzumaki shook his head no. “It…. It’s starting to taste like ash. I can barely taste what it is.”

“It may be hard but keep eating. You can’t survive off blood yet.”

It was difficult for Uzumaki. It was unappetizing, and each spoonful was getting harder and harder to swallow. Finally, Sasuke took pity, taking the bowl from him.

Sasuke took a bite. Ash really was the best description to call the taste in his mouth. The texture was gritty and dry to him. It was almost tasteless but had a hint of something bitter and distasteful underneath. He took another bite and another until there was nothing left.

Then, he addressed the confusion on Uzumaki’s face. “Until you no longer have to eat solids, I’ll eat with you.”

“You,” Naruto looked at the bowl. “You don’t have to do that.”

“I know I don’t.” Sasuke put the bowl back on the tray and collected the rag and bowl as Tobi picked up the soiled clothes. “Rest. You’re going to have an early morning tomorrow.”

Naruto laid back down, exhaustion catching up with him. “Why?”

“You’ll see,” he glanced at Tobi. “Tobi, meet me in my office once you have taken care of the chores.”

“Yes, young master,” the butler bowed.

Naruto listened to both vampires leave, closing the door behind them. Sleep was knocking at his consciousness, like a persistent salesman who refused to leave after being told to get lost. As much as he’d like to indulge, he needed to do something first.

 _Can you hear me?_ He called out into the darkness of his mind.

 **Unfortunately.** Naruto was in the mindscape again, a vague man standing in the shadows, staring at him with the glowing eyes. **What do you want? I thought you were ignoring me.**

_Because you aren’t real. I shouldn’t talk to you._

**Then why are you?**

_Because_... _if it wasn’t for you, I’d be dead._

The man laughed. **I didn’t do it for you. If you die, then it becomes a pain for me. I did it for myself.**

Naruto figured; however, hearing out loud felt disappointing. For a being he tried to ignore, why did he feel a sense of loss. _Sorry to bother you then._

 **Before you go back to ignoring me,** the man said, taking a few steps closer, **you should know that things are about to get rough.** **If you don’t get stronger, you may not survive.**

_Is that a threat?_

The man didn’t respond, retreating to the recesses of Naruto’s mind.

What was with that cryptic message? Couldn’t his other self just answer the question instead of leaving a mystery? Naruto sighed, sleep tugging at his eyelids. Unable to stay awake any longer, he gave in, relinquishing himself to sleep.

* * *

“Well, is it there?”

Sasori glared at the man who stood across from him with a gun to his head. If he was asked one more time, he did not care what the consequences were, he was going to kill that man. “I know you are impatient,” Sasori said as calmly as he could. It took all his strength to remain neutral to the intruders in his territory. His morgue was not for outsiders to taint it. “But unless you want his corpse to be desecrated more than it already is, I suggest, you wait calmly.

The man’s partner tapped his foot impatiently, further agitating Sasori’s concentration. Finally, Sasori found what he was looking for, or rather, he didn’t find it. “It is as you suspected; the soul was forcibly removed.”

“So it was Hidan,” the man who had been tapping his foot cursed.

“Jiraiya-san. I am sure you are relieved to find out that you were correct and angry at the discovery; however, I did as you asked. If you would be so kind as to have your henchmen remove their weapons, I would be ever so grateful,” Sasori did not hide his annoyance or dry tone.

Jiraiya waved for the two men to lower their weapons. One had a gun while the other held a kunai to his neck. They did not let put their weapons away, still on guard to Sasori’s every movement.

“Is there anything else you want from me?” Sasori asked, zipping the body bag of what was basically chunks of meat rather than a corpse.

“Yes, we want to know about Orochimaru. We were told you have a spy watching him,” Jiraiya said, his eyes fixated on the body bag.

“I do not know anything regarding Orochimaru-san,” Sasori lied smoothly.

“Don’t lie.” Jiraiya met his eyes. “We know you made a deal with him. We just want to know what you gave him.”

“I gave him corpses for experimentation. With the proper permits, the council will exchange corpses for research data on them. Doesn’t matter if it’s human or immortal.”

“Give us the data,” Jiraiya demanded.

Sasori continued cleaning up from the autopsy, not intimidated by the humans around him. “And why should I do that, Jiraiya-san? You have threatened my life, the life of a vampire council member, and expect me to answer so easily? Whether its UV radiation research or searching for the grand panacea, I have no obligation to tell you.”

“I think, you will find it more beneficial to tell us, Sasori-sama. “

Sasori glanced up, looking at Jiraiya as if he were a worm. “Humans have always been such self-righteous creatures. I always found it fascinating how confident you are that you are always in the right while my kind is supposedly the plague upon mankind. In reality, immortals are just another tier in the food chain. Humans are the only creatures who don’t seem to accept that.”

Sasori saw the punch coming but did nothing to intercept it, taking the hit. His head snapped to the side, a small cut on his face, though the rest of Sasori’s body stayed rooted in place. “Was that supposed to hurt?” He asked, unimpressed.

“No, it was just to make me feel better,” Jiraiya shook his hand out to get the feeling back in it. “But you will be coming with us.”

“Do you want to start a war so badly? The council won’t sit still, attacking and kidnapping one of its members.”

“You could always resist,” from Jiraiya’s voice, it sounded like he wanted him to.

Sasori’s vision began to swim. “No. I’m not one for fighting.” He stumbled into the examination table, and he had to grab hold just to remain standing. “And it appears you have already gained the upper hand.”

Jiraiya dropped the scalpel Sasori had been using earlier, its tip covered in coagulated blood. “The funny thing about an immortal working in a morgue is that you are surrounded by your own poison,” he said.

Sasori couldn’t say anything. He had been careless. He hadn’t thought they were desperate enough to go past a threat or two, but he remained standing. The cut wasn’t deep. It would pass in a minute or two. He had built up some immunity to dead man’s blood.

“Kakashi-san, Iruka-san, give him a larger dose of blood. He can’t have him recovering until we have him secured.”

“Yes, Jiraiya-sama,” they bowed together, proceeding to do as they were instructed. Sasori didn’t put up a fight, knowing it would only cause damage to himself and his lab. They cut into his arms, and Sasori’s world blurred and tilted, making him nauseous.

Grabbing hold of him before he could collapse, the two men carried Sasori out of his lab. As he began to blackout, his final thought was how Deidara was going to kill him when he returned.

+

“Why am I up so early?” Naruto yawned. He was still in his sleep clothes, having been denied a chance to change. He was standing in a dojo that was located in the basement of the house with wooden floors and a rice paper door. Vaguely, he remembered thinking this room was out of place in a Western-style mansion during the tour. He was so tired when he was taken to the room, he didn’t even remember walking there in the first place.

“Training. If my brother is after you, he will come again soon. You’ll need to be ready.” Uchiha had changed into a gi, the white uniform worn by martial artist, with a black belt wrapped around his waist.

“And this couldn’t wait until after I got dressed? Forget it. I’m going back to bed.” Naruto turned around but his instincts told him to jump back. Never one to think twice about such a warning, Naruto followed though just as a shuriken whizzed by, imbedding itself into the wall.

Naruto hadn’t noticed before, but Tobi was standing off to his right with the shuriken in his hand. “Very good reflexes, Uzumaki-sama!” Tobi praised. “I would have been sad if you didn’t dodge that.”

“What the hell!” Now fully awake, Naruto realized Tobi was not the only one-armed. Uchiha was holding a sheathed katana. He barely managed to scurry back from more shuriken thrown at him, falling in the process.

“Tobi is an expert in human weapons in this area. Before you can learn to fight a high-level vampire, you have to know how to fight humans.”

“Humans?” Naruto snorted with disbelief. “Why would I need to know that? And no one fights with these anymore. This is the stuff shinobi used to use.”

Uchiha narrowed his eyes at him as if assessing whether he was serious or not. Apparently, he decided to answer his question. “Humans are far more dangerous than you think.”

Kneeling on the floor and sitting back on his heels, he held his right hand out in front of him. Naruto watched every movement wondering what Uchiha was doing. Something started to swirl in his hand. It was clear but visible by the distortion of the air. The same type of distortion one could see when looking through the heat of a fire.

“There are many names for it. Qi. Chakra. Magic. It is the lifeforce that dwells in all living beings, from trees to humans. Vampires naturally possess high levels of this force through the blood we drink. This excess energy is automatically transformed into strength, speed, agility, and other abilities.

“Normal humans do not normally have access to such power. However, there are a select few who do possess an overabundance. They are known to the world as psychics, shamans, wizards, and many other names. These humans who use that power to hunt down supernatural beings are called hunters.”

Uchiha closed his fist. “These humans are exceptionally dangerous. Humans are more versatile. The excess energy they possess is not automatically transformed and they can manipulate it to how they see fit. Their bodies are more adaptable, and their power is malleable, giving them a wider range of abilities, limited only by the amount of power they possess and the amount of strength and training they put into honing those abilities.”

“What type of abilities?” Naruto asked, clearly intrigued. There was a spark of excitement in his eyes.

“There are 5 types of abilities: creation, manipulation, enchantments, contracts, and specials. Creation is giving your lifeforce a form in the physical plane. For example, the ability to create fire or a sword where previously there was none. It was created by transforming your lifeforce directly into the element or object.

“Manipulation is when you insert your lifeforce into something and manipulate it to your will. For example, bending a spoon with your mind. You insert your life force into the spoon and tell it to bend. Creation is often confused with manipulation. A being can manipulate the moisture in the air and freeze it, creating ice. It has the appearance of creation but is fundamentally different.

“Enchantments are as they sound. Using words, talismans, and the like to enact commands. A priest who uses talismans to put up barriers would fall under this category. He inscribes a command onto paper. When he wants to use it, he injects lifeforce into the talisman and it reacts according to the command.

“Contracts are more complicated and depend on the situation, but it involves a contract with another party. Familiars are the most notable form of this.

“Special is any ability that falls outside of the previous four. It is rare, but occasionally you will run into a special user.

“Aside from contracts, an ability is rarely just one type. It is usually a combination of two or more types, making the combinations that a human can create would be limitless if not for death. However, each human has an affinity for a certain combination of manipulation, creation, and enchantments, making it difficult to change that combination. It is possible to learn, but the time it takes learning and developing lots of techniques ill-suited for an individual usually develops a weaker overall product.

“Instead, a certain ability is nurtured. The ability of the child often mimics the ability of the parent. Humans pass down the techniques from generation to generation, adding new tricks and skills to enhance their natural power and versatility. However, the fact that a human can learn other abilities to either enhance their own battle prowess or cover for themselves should their usual attacks not work is a problem. A typical hunter will have a main ability for attack and use supporting abilities for defensive measures.

“A vampire’s power is not as flexible, and we are generally limited to only one or two abilities. While they will grow in power and versatility with age, should the ability be ineffective against an opponent, a vampire can be easily cornered. Humans also attack in packs while vampires are typically living alone.”

Naruto listened to the information intensely, trying to digest it all. Powers did exist. The idea was mind-boggling. “But I don’t have powers. Would I even be able to use those techniques?”

“I think rather than not having it, it’s untrained.” Uchiha stood. “Human weapons tend to have enchantments on them to prevent healing or coated with poison. At the very least, we’ll teach you to dodge them and protect yourself from them.”

“But why shinobi weapons?”

Uchiha seemed like he didn’t want to answer, which was strange. Was it that hard of a question? “Each section in the world is known for a distinctive group of hunters. In Europe, it’s the Templars. In America, Area-51. Japan is known for ninjas, though their skillset these days stray from the ideal version of them.”

“Shinobi are real,” Naruto’s lips twitched into a smile. It just sounded so ridiculous. “I can see it now, ‘Vampires versus Ninja’. Oh, wait, I think that movie already exists. How about, ‘Horrible Plot Ideas: The Movie’.” Naruto was full on laughing now.

A shuriken whizzed by, cutting into Naruto’s cheek, stopping his fit of laughter.

“If I was a hunter, I could have killed you,” Uchiha said, not finding it amusing. “Stand.” Uchiha pulled out his katana with exaggerated slowness. It gave him a very menacing approach, and it was slowly sinking in that Uchiha was being serious.

Tobi’s smile took a dark edge, as he said happily. “Now then Uzumaki-sama, shall we begin?”

* * *

Sasuke excused himself from the dojo, leaving Tobi to continue Uzumaki’s training. He wanted to have this conversation without the chance of Uzumaki overhearing. It was obvious Naruto had no idea who exactly lived on his island or what type of company he kept. If there was a reason for that, he wanted to know why.

Going to his office and locking the door, he turned on the light, noting that Tobi had finally gotten this part of the house wired for electricity.

He had memorized the number he needed, inputting it into his phone. Someone answered sharply in Arabic.

“ _Do you speak English_? _”_ Sasuke asked.

There was a long silence. “ _Unfortunately,”_ the speaker seemed to hate that fact.

_“I want to speak to your brother.”_

_“My brother doesn’t want to be disturbed. Call back later.”_

_“Tell him that it has to do with Naruto Uzumaki. He will take it.”_

_“…Hold on a moment.”_

So even Gaara’s older brother knew who Uzumaki was. Sasuke pondered on what that could mean as he waited, and he waited for several long minutes before a tired and very annoyed, “What?” came over the phone.

“I have some questions for you about Uzumaki, and I want answers to them.”

“I have no obligation to tell you anything.”

“Really? Are we going to have this conversation again? Or should I just collect what you owe me from Hyuuga?”

Gaara went quiet.

“It would be a simple phone call. I’m sure the shinobi would love to know where Hyuuga is right now.”

“What do you want to know, Uchiha,” Gaara growled softly into the phone. “But I won’t guarantee that I’ll answer everything.”

“Your cooperation is all I ask. First off, how did you get involved with the hunters here?”

“They raised me since I was a child. I am under the protection of the previous head of the organization.”

“Why’s that?”

“None of your business,” Gaara snapped. “Next question.”

“Does Uzumaki have retrograde amnesia?”

Gaara sighed softly on the phone. “How do you know about it?”

“Little things. Your lying about meeting him before, a few muttered words in his nightmares. It’s either he cannot or will not remember or that he was too young to remember.”

Gaara went quiet again before mumbling, “Pass.”

“What about the fact that his godmother is the leader of the hunters in Japan and the immortal council knowing who he is, yet Uzumaki not having a no clue? Why is it being kept from him?”

“How long has been having the dreams?” Gaara interrupted, bypassing the question.

Irritated, Sasuke responded, “The past couple days. He’s had two that I’m aware of.”

There was another silence on the end of the line before Gaara finally responded with, “If he has another nightmare, call me.”

“That’s not an answer,” Sasuke’s voice turned threatening. “What are you hiding?”

“Uzumaki doesn’t need to know anything, and I can’t trust you not to tell him.”

“Your beloved Uzumaki nearly got killed by a ghoul yesterday, and a powerful immortal has set his sights on him. I can’t help him if I don’t know anything.”

“Uchiha,” Gaara said calmly. “Uzumaki will be okay. He’s not as weak as a normal human. If his life is in danger, he will be protected.”

“And why is that? What is he?”

“Uzumaki...Uzumaki is just like me. For now, watch your back. The fact you are turning Uzumaki will not sit lightly with Tsunade. If that’s all, I’ll be hanging up.”

After delivering his message, Gaara hung up without waiting for Sasuke to respond. That call had been almost completely useless. He gained a few puzzle pieces but also gained more questions.

What did Gaara mean he and Uzumaki were alike? From Sasuke’s perspective, Gaara was an immortal though there was some weird twist to him. His eyes had changed colors as Uzumaki’s had when he was confronted on the school’s roof, but little seemed similar other than that. Naruto came off human while Gaara came off as an immortal.

He’d have to corner Gaara when he came back. The information he was given was unacceptable.

Pocketing his phone, he headed back to the basement to check on Naruto’s progress.

Naruto was covered in fresh bruises and cuts thanks to Tobi and Sasuke not going easy on him. The accelerated healing wasn’t kicking in either. He was currently laying on the floor, sprawled out and panting heavily, his shirt drenched in sweat with speckles of blood.

“Bastard, I can’t believe you did this to me.”

“If you learned to dodge, then this wouldn’t have happened,” Sasuke said. He had changed back into normal clothing before his call, planning to leave the house afterward.

“Well maybe if you weren’t attacking me like you were trying to kill me, I would have learned something.”

Oh, Uzumaki made it so easy sometimes. “It can’t be helped. You can’t teach brainless animals new tricks unless they are in a life or death situation.”

“Who are you calling brainless! My grades are better than yours!”

Sasuke smirked. Really too easy. “So, you don’t deny you’re an animal.”

“You’re intolerable!” Uzumaki threw back, crossing his arms in a pout.

Sasuke faked a shocked expression. “That’s a big word. Did you learn it from your daily kid’s cartoons?”

Throwing his hands up in the air, Uzumaki decided to give up while he was ahead. It wasn’t worth the frustration.

“Are you done complaining then?” Sasuke asked, squatting beside him.

“I’ll stop complaining when you stop being an ass.”

Sasuke gave him one of his fake polite smiles. “Now, Uzumaki-san, we both know that’s never going to happen.”

With a small smile, Uzumaki sighed. “Yeah, wouldn’t be you otherwise, bastard.”


	14. Chapter 14

“I can’t believe that damn brat actually broke my sword,” Kisame growled, cradling his weapon in his lap. “Does he have any idea how long it takes someone like me to make a new one?”

Itachi listened to his complaints with half an ear, reading the leather-bound book in his hands. “A necessary sacrifice.”

“Necessary? Why even bother fighting him if you were going to interrupt halfway through?”

Kisame had been complaining since he came back, moaning over the destruction of his sword. Itachi tuned out his complaints after the first hour. He turned his page, answering his question as an afterthought. “Reasons.”

Kisame rolled his eyes at the vague answer but expected it all the same. As long as they have been working together, he had an idea behind the reasons of his actions, but he had never given him specifics. Shaking his head, he placed his palm over the crack in the blade. A soft light emitted from his palm, his chakra entering the blade and slowly mending the crack.

It would take several days to mend, but it could not be helped. A ghoul just did not have enough chakra to produce a new weapon like a vampire or human could as their small amount of chakra came from the corpses they devoured which held little to no lifeforce in them.

Kisame was one of the few who could generate his own life force, but it was practically useless in long battles. He could store it in a reserve that depleted in battle before having to store it once again over a stretch of time. The longer he went without battle, the stronger he became.

He expended little during the fight with Uzumaki, Naruto, and if he chose, he could mend the sword right away, but it would deplete a significant portion of his reserves. Itachi preferred him to save his energy as well. In this cautious time, it was better to be prepared for battle than to be caught unarmed.

“Don’t you think your little rival will catch wind of the little stunt we just pulled? I’m sure that fight’s up on the internet by now.”

“Most likely,” Itachi picked up the tea from the coffee table. “And yet, the council has stayed quiet.”

The raven perched next to the chair cawed and ruffled its feathers, asking to be petted by its master. Itachi indulged his pet, rubbing under its beak and lightly down its throat.

“At this juncture, all we can do is see what will occur next, and we will react appropriately. Until then, we have done what we can.” He held out his arm which the bird jumped onto. “It is fortunate that my dear little brother is following my plans to the letter.”

“I think your brother would stake himself if he ever realized it,” Kisame muttered.

A small smile cracked Itachi’s perfect mask. It was eerie on a man who never smiled or showed an ounce of emotion. “Perhaps,” he said, walking to the window and opening it. The raven took flight, taking to the night sky. “So, let’s make sure he continues to do so, shall we?”

* * *

“Come on Uchiha, give me a break.” Uzumaki was sprawled out on the wooden floor, dripping sweat and gasping for air. “It’s been two weeks, and I feel like I’m about to die.” Closing his eyes, he tried to slow his breathing only to have his eyes snap open. He managed to spring onto his hands and flip back onto his feet, dodging the shuriken that had landed where his head would have been.

Uzumaki’s instincts were top-notch, and his body was in excellent shape to be able to adapt so quickly. It went beyond having a knack for fighting. Although years of fighting had been engrained into Uzumaki, he had to have developed some of it on his own throughout the years. Given the people who occupied the island, Uzumaki had probably picked fights with a hunter or two without knowing.

Even so, Uzumaki’s progress was unusually fast, and more than once, if Sasuke pushed past Uzumaki’s natural limits, Uzumaki’s eyes would glaze over, and a surge of energy would compensate and assist his training. The surge only lasted fractions of a second; hardly notable, but enough to enhance Uzumaki’s performance.

That wasn’t the only odd thing. Naruto should have been nearing the end of his change. In his last week in fact, but his change had stagnated. He showed no signs of being near the final stages of his transformation. Naruto hadn’t noticed due to the time training, having lost track of the days, but Uchiha had been keeping careful track, readying for the final steps. Naruto’s change had stopped progressing after two weeks, but his abilities, vampire and human, were getting stronger.

“Take an hour break,” Sasuke said, sheathing his katana.

Uzumaki didn’t have to be told twice. He collapsed back onto the floor the second Ryu gave his permission.

“Tobi, prepare him some food.” Sasuke barely waited for his butler’s confirmation, already heading out the room. He closed the door softly behind him. “You know, it is rude to enter people’s houses without permission.”

Gaara was leaning against the wall, just outside the dojo, arms crossed. He looked significantly healthier than he had two weeks ago. “Uzumaki hasn’t been in school for two weeks.”

“Does your lover know you’re coming to see another man?” Sasuke couldn’t help the jab. He had grown to dislike Gaara for his tight-lipped history and his obsession with Uzumaki.

“Let’s talk in your office. Uzumaki is less likely to overhear.”

There was no reason to reject Gaara’s suggestion as he was going to offer the same; however, Gaara was too comfortable in his home for a guest, let alone an intruder. Trespassing gave Sasuke the right to kill him as Gaara knew whose territory the land belonged to. The only thing stopping him was the blond fledgling laying on his dojo floor cursing under his breath. He had certainly grown soft over the years; a trait Gaara was exploiting.

They both took a seat, Sasuke adopting a business-like persona behind his desk. “So, what can I help you with, Gaara-san.”

“It is nearing the date of his turn, I thought I would offer my assistance,” Gaara replied. He sat at the edge of his leather chair, not letting his guard down.

“As kind as that offer is, I have a hard time trusting someone who keeps secrets.” Sasuke leaned forward. “That is unless you want to tell me exactly what you and Naruto are?”

Gaara observed him, showing no signs of what he was thinking. Then, unexpectedly he said, “He’s not changing, is he?”

Narrowing his eyes, Sasuke said with a forced calm, “You expected this.”

“Not quite, but there was a chance.”

“And I have never heard of a situation like this.” Sasuke stood, frowning. “You want me to trust you, but you don’t give me reason to.”

“If I am honest,” Gaara said, meeting his gaze head on. “Uzumaki’s biology and background differ from mine. It may seem unimportant, but it changes his situation from mine. I can only speculate.”

“Then speculate. You claim to want to help Uzumaki, but you refuse to give me anything that will help him. I have no choice but to question you and your motives.”

Gaara faltered, breaking eye contact from Sasuke to look at his hands. Exhaling slowly, he looked up. “If I told you, everything Uzumaki has known, anything normal that he has left, any peace of mind, any hope that things may one day get better, will be stripped away, and I have no guarantee you won’t tell him and take that away from him, and I can’t take your infatuation with him as assurance that you will do what’s best for him.”

“Infatuation?” Sasuke replied unable to hide his surprise then his lips curled with amusement. “You think that I’d have feelings for a child?”

“You’re not the only one who has resources. Your history in England is quite… bloody, to put it nicely.” Sasuke glared but it did nothing to stop Gaara from continuing. “People may change, but until recently, your habits had been constant if not as reckless as it had been before the World Wars. The old you would not have taken in a fledgling, and you would not go so far to protect him.” Gaara was confident as he asked his next question. “Am I wrong?”

He couldn’t deny what Gaara had said. His past self would have never taken in Uzumaki and at the first sign of inconvenience, such as being under the eye of Tsunade; he would have killed him and dumped his body somewhere. Yet he was here, training him, trying to protect him, something he would have scoffed at before he came to Japan.

“Uzumaki is entertainment. That’s all.”

“As I said,” Gaara stood, “Infatuation isn’t something I can trust.” He bowed his head. “If you need assistance in regards to Uzumaki, do not hesitate to contact me.”

Sasuke watched Gaara leave with a blank face, restraining himself from commenting further. He had looked up information on Gaara, or as much as he could, but almost all of it was redacted due to his age and country of origin. The fact he was the ambassador’s son only made it more difficult to obtain. All he knew was that Gaara was much younger than he had anticipated, being the same age as Uzumaki and, from his appearance, looked to be the same age too. He had thought Gaara was 10 or so years old, but there was a possibility he was a newborn, and newborns didn’t have the control he had.

Closing his eyes, he exhaled slowly, releasing the tension from his shoulders. Gaara was a problem for another time. There was no sense worrying about it now.

Pushing the issue aside, he went back to the dojo in the basement. Naruto should have had plenty of time to rest. Opening the sliding door, he was surprised to see Naruto gone and Tobi clearly panicking at seeing his master there without having found the teen.

The wooden frame of the rice paper sliding door splintered in Sasuke’s grip. Someone was going to die.

* * *

“Two weeks. Two weeks of that bastard putting me through hellish training and not letting me out of his sight. I’m going crazy.”

Kiba listened, handing Naruto some water. Naruto was squatting outside the convenience store in downtown, smoking his cigarette. He took the water gratefully, opening it with haste. Naruto had lost his appetite for real food, but it didn’t keep his stomach from gnawing on itself from hunger. Water was the only thing that didn’t have that gritty taste and helped stave off his hunger. “Sounds hard on you.”

“You have no idea,” Naruto sighed, taking several gulps of water from the bottle. Water dribbled down his chin which he wiped away with the back of his sleeve. “How’s school?”

Kiba’s face scrunched up in displeasure. “Well, midterms were difficult. I have to take remedial classes for them, and Tsunade-san’s been on the warpath. You kind of disappeared from school after all.”

Naruto winced at hearing the news. After disappearing for a couple of days just a few weeks prior, it probably put a lot of strain on her, and he hadn’t called her or Jiraiya either.

“But!” Kiba’s face filled up with excitement, blushing lightly but with a giant grin on his face. “I finally gathered up the courage to ask Hyuuga-san out to the new café in downtown with me.”

“You asked out Hinata-chan?” The quiet cousin of Hyuuga, Neji came to mind. She was smart, pretty, and very kind to everyone, not to mention she was from one of the prominent families on the island. She was the ideal type of girl any guy would want to date. “Isn’t she out of your league?” Naruto joked.

Kiba laughed. “Yeah, I think so too, but she said yes.”

There was genuine happiness for his friend. Kiba had his sights on her since grade school but had always been too shy to really say anything. It was a real-life love story, and Kiba would treat her like a princess. Kiba’s life was moving on without him, and there was a small sense of loss that Kiba would have a normal life, while he wouldn’t.

“I’m happy for you man, congrats.” Naruto smiled at him, and Kiba beamed back.

“I’m sure you’ll find a girl one day. You have all eternity after all.”

The words were meant to help, but it didn’t soothe, reminding him that his life was no longer normal. “I don’t think I have much luck with girls. Sakura-chan says I’m too oblivious.”

“Well, there’s a festival going on, or we could always take the ferry to Beppu if you want to get away for a bit,” Kiba suggested.

There were no words to describe the relief Naruto felt when Kiba had agreed to meet him downtown when he called. Kiba may have been a bit oblivious, but he had stuck by Naruto’s side through thick and thin since middle school when Naruto jumped into a fight with some high school kids beating up on Kiba. Kiba was his first and for the longest time, only friend.

Being around a lot of people, even tourists wasn’t very appealing. He really just wanted a quiet afternoon before Uchiha finally tracked him down and dragged him back. “You have school tomorrow, right? Let’s eat out. My treat.”

Kiba threw his arm over Naruto’s shoulder. “No, it’s my treat, my treat.” He laughed loudly, dragging Naruto towards the quieter part of town and away from the main activities.

Naruto wasn’t sure what the festival was for but there were a lot of big wigs attending as always. As most of the people and employees were attending the festivals or working the stalls, the rest of the area was quiet for an afternoon.

“Well, if you’re buying, I want meat.”

“Geez, go for the expensive stuff why don’t you. Okonomiyaki.”

“We always get that. What are you, cheap?”

“Says the guy getting a free meal.”

The feeling of normalcy warmed Naruto from the inside out. Worrying that Kiba would change his act towards him, Naruto had restrained himself from acting completely like himself. But now that laid forgotten. Talking about everyday things that they used to.

He was engrossed in his conversation, so he didn’t notice right away, the man walking towards them. If he had, maybe he would have separated from Kiba sooner or changed directions, but he didn’t─ not until Naruto had practically run into him.

“Uzumaki-san,” Itachi greeted.

Panic swelled in Naruto’s chest. They were on a street with very little foot traffic, but it was still a few people here and there. Surely, he wouldn’t cause trouble. However, Naruto knew that held little sway. He had been attacked in Tokyo. There was little chance Itachi would put off anything just because it was in public.

“Who are you?” Kiba asked rudely, taking a step forward and trying to act intimidating.

Naruto did his best to grab hold of his arm and pull him back subtly, but it was too late, Itachi had turned his emotionless gaze to Kiba. “Leave us.”

Why would anyone just do what they were told, Naruto thought, but that’s exactly what Kiba did. With a calm and serene smile, Kiba pulled out of Naruto’s hold and turned around, heading back the way they had come.

“Kiba-kun?” he called out weakly, watching his friend walk away.

“I would advise that you let him go, Uzumaki-san. He may not make it home safely otherwise.”

Naruto was tempted to follow Kiba, but the threat lingered over his head. There was something unnerving about Itachi. Although Itachi had never laid a hand on him, he feared him more than the man who had nearly killed him a couple of weeks ago. “What do you want with me?”

“I believe you wanted to eat meat. We’ll talk after the meal. It is the polite way to do business, is it not?”

His overly polite way of speaking made Naruto uncomfortable. He didn’t give a vibe of a villain, more like a creepy coworker or classmate you rather avoid. No sign of arrogance or sense of superiority though he carried himself as Sasuke did, with an air of nobility.

Naruto followed Itachi quietly, wondering if he could slip away while the vampire was distracted. The problem was he had no idea where the other man was. For all he knew, he could be stalking Kiba waiting for a call from Itachi to slit his throat. The unknown kept Naruto bound to Itachi’s “requests”.

Itachi, surprisingly, kept to his word, bringing Naruto to a barbeque restaurant, taking a seat at a traditional Japanese table with a cooktop. Waving the waiter over, he placed the order for both of them without looking at the menu.

They sat quietly as they waited. Naruto watched Itachi’s every move, while Itachi appeared to pay little attention to him, pouring the green tea supplied to them into a cup and sipping occasionally.

“Why am I here?” Naruto asked, gripping his ankles in his rising anxiety.

“It is rude to talk business during a meal. You will be unable to make good business relations in the future if you don’t learn proper etiquette for the future.”

Naruto had to bite the inside of his cheek to keep from retorting. A lecture from a possible killer about manners, the irony wasn’t lost on him. He couldn’t do much other than sit quietly.

The waiter brought the tray of raw meats and vegetables, placing it gingerly onto the table. It was high-end beef too, and just the sight of it made Naruto’s mouth water and his stomach rumble. It was just a shame he wouldn’t be able to taste it.

“Itadakimasu,” Itachi said as he picked up the chopsticks and placed the first slice of meat onto the grill.

“Itadakimasu,” Naruto replied with much less enthusiasm and much more hesitant in placing the meat onto the grill. He was surprised that Itachi was actively eating and drinking tea, not showing a hint of disgust on his face.

“I hope my good for nothing little brother is treating you well. He has never been very good at dealing with people.”

“No… he’s been quite good to me.” Naruto found himself using polite language despite himself. While Sasuke came off as a foreigner, not caring for the nuances and Japanese style of speaking, Itachi was the opposite, careful to follow Japanese practices and etiquette.

Itachi picked up the meat with his chopsticks, dipping them in a sauce before consuming it. Naruto did the same and sure enough, the taste was similar to dirt and ash. Still, he ate, not giving a chance for Itachi to complain about Naruto not entertaining him.

**Grow a backbone, kit. He has you running scared without lifting a finger.**

The sudden voice startled Naruto, shaking him out of the oppressive atmosphere that had slowly but surely surrounded him, ready to strangle him. How had he not notice how hard it had become to just breathe.

“Appealing, isn’t he.”

“What?”

“The voice that speaks to you. He makes you want to trust him, doesn’t he?” Itachi placed his chopsticks onto his plate.

“H-how do you…”

“You shouldn’t rely on him.”

Naruto put his chopsticks down as well, but much more forcibly. “Excuse my rudeness, but I think I should go.”

“You would risk your friend’s life?”

That stopped Naruto’s retreat. Feeling trapped, he gripped his chopsticks until the wood began to crack.

Itachi pulled out a wallet. They had only eaten through half of the food brought to them, but Itachi placed a 10,000 yen bill on the table “Now that we have eaten, I suppose it’s time to talk.” Itachi once again took the lead. As they exited the restaurant the employees all had blank expressions as they bowed to him, thanking him for his service. It was as they left that Naruto realized there were no other patrons in the restaurant.

“Hey, wait!” Naruto ran after Itachi. “How long do you think I’m going to keep going along with this? You can’t just keep ordering me around.”

“No,” Itachi agreed, not slowing his pace. “But before that, shall we stop by the pachinko parlor? I’ve never played before.”

“Stop fucking with me!” Naruto stopped in the street. His eyes had turned red. “ **Tell me what you want, you insignificant ant.** ”

Itachi stopped as well, turning very slowly. “My lord,” he bowed his head in acknowledgment. “I didn’t come to speak to you, but the boy.”

“ **Your actions would speak otherwise,”** he growled. **“If you know who I am, leave me and the boy alone.”**

“Quite perceptive, my lord. You are correct,” Itachi conceded.

Naruto only blinked. The distance between them meant nothing. Itachi had Naruto pinned to a wall in the alley before he even finished blinking. “I did come for you.”

Naruto gasped, his red eyes wide with surprise as his hands trailed to the blade that had impaled him through his stomach becoming slick with blood. His eyes flashed between blue and red.

Itachi leaned closer until he could whisper his next words into Naruto’s ear. “I seal thee.”

 **“Curse you… Uchiha.** ” Naruto’s eyes reverted back to blue then to a dull blue as he lost consciousness.

The raven-hair vampire removed his katana from the teen’s stomach, watching the body fall to the ground. With a flick of his wrist, he cleaned the blade when he heard a rustle from above. He lifted the sword to cross the path of another coming down from above. Itachi’s eyes met a matching set of black as a body followed the sword’s path, landing gracefully in front of Itachi and keeping their blades locked.

“Tobi-san,” Itachi said, eyebrows furrowed. “You are a nuisance as usual.”

“Sasuke will be very upset to find the boy in your hands.” A bright smile lit up Tobi’s face. “As a servant, it is my duty to retrieve him.” Tobi held up the mangled corpse of a raven before tossing it aside. “I should thank you for leading me right to him.”

Itachi scoffed. “My brother is easily misled, as are you.”

A kunai slid out of his sleeve into his left hand. He stabbed towards Itachi’s chest, but Itachi freed his right hand to block the attack. As Itachi’s weapon was a two-handed weapon, Tobi took advantage of the weakened stance and pivoted on his left foot to kick with his right.

Itachi pushed back against Tobi’s short sword, jumping out of the way just in time. The kick missed by a mere centimeter. With another jump, Itachi landed on top of a chain-linked fence, looking down on his opponent. “I apologize, but I do not have time to entertain you today.”

Tobi jumped onto the fence as well, taking another swiped at Itachi.

Itachi leaped over Tobi, landing on the other side. The move was foreseen however, allowing Tobi to ready a counter kick. Itachi blocked it, but not as easily as he would have like, sliding back several centimeters.

“That is so cool!”

The exclamation of a boy, no older than 10 years old, standing at the entrance of the alleyway, drew Tobi’s attention. With the distraction, Itachi took advantage, jumping onto an apartment balcony railing then on top of the building. “Next time, let’s not play around, alright Oji-san?” With that departing message, he disappeared.

Tobi didn’t follow. Naruto was still lying on the ground bleeding out.

With his partial change, Naruto didn’t bleed as much as a normal human would have, but there was still a lot of blood, pooling underneath his body.

With a frown, Tobi lifted his shirt to inspect the wound. It was healing but at a very slow pace. It wouldn’t close before he bled to death.

Naruto moaned softly from being moved, his eyes open just a sliver.

“Uzumaki-sama? Can you hear me?”

“Tobi…san?” With weak and uncoordinated movements, he tried to sit up only to gasp in pain and almost pass out again.

Tobi’s frown deepened. “Stay right here and try to stay awake.” Tobi’s eyes locked onto the child who had spotted them. “I’ll be right back.”

The child took a step away when Tobi stood, fear covering his face. Before he could escape, Tobi caught him. The child squirmed against him until he met Tobi’s eyes and the fight drained out of him, becoming compliant and growing silent.

He brought the child over, holding the small wrist near Naruto’s mouth. “You need to drink.”

“No,” with little strength he had, Naruto turned his head away. “I won’t kill him.”

“You’re not fully changed. You won’t turn him, but you need blood, Uzumaki-sama. Please, make this time an exception.”

Stubbornness was etched on his features, his lips tightening in defiance.

Tobi frowned. “Uzumaki-sama, I’m begging you.” Taking his kunai, he placed the blade against the skin, pressing into the fragile flesh. Blood quickly started flowing. “Drink.”

No was on the tip of his tongue, but the smell reach nose and the blood dripped onto his lips. Against his will, Naruto’s tongue darted out, licking the blood off his lips. It tasted sweet, and his stomach cramped with intense pain. Though he had just eaten, it felt like he was starving. His teeth ached too; he could vaguely feel his canines lengthening and turning into fangs. His mind kept saying no, but his body wasn’t listening. The smell, the taste, it was so enticing and his mind clouding.

“If you drink Uzumaki-sama, you will feel better,” he said gently, bringing the wrist closer, dropping more blood onto his lips.

The more Naruto resisted, the more the hunger grew.

Unable to resist no longer, he latched his teeth into the tender flesh, drinking greedily. He hadn’t expected to hear the cry out in pain, but he didn’t even flinch. Even in pain, the child didn’t try to pull away or fight back. The odd state faded from Naruto’s mind as thought was wiped, focusing on the blood that filled his mouth. The first thing he could taste in weeks may as well have been heavenly nectar as each gulp, eased his pain.

Tobi grabbed Naruto’s jaw, applying force to unlock Naruto’s bite from the small wrist. “You must let go, Uzumaki-sama. You wouldn’t want to overeat and accidentally murder him. I will procure another for you to feed off of.”

Naruto growled, his pupils dilated wide. He snapped at Tobi, who kept Naruto easily at bay. Tobi pushed the child out of the way, paying little mind to the child collapsing a meter away.

With Naruto still injured, he was unable to move well, giving Tobi enough time to grab another stranger from the street.

This time, Naruto didn’t need an incentive to drink, biting down the moment the wrist came into his range. When the time came, Tobi made Naruto release the arm to repeat the process one last time.

More lucid with the pain receding and feeling well-fed, Naruto let go, feeling tired. His wound had nearly completely healed but left him physically and mentally drained. Once ridding of the third human, Tobi cleaned Naruto’s mouth with a handkerchief to the best of his abilities. There was little he could do about the blood on Naruto’s clothes.

“How did you find me?” Naruto asked, standing on shaky feet.

“I’ve been looking for you since you left the mansion. Uchiha-sama was not happy that you had left.”

“I bet not.”

Smiling, Tobi placed a hand on Naruto’s shoulder. “I parked the car just around the corner. It’s unlocked. Please make your way there first.”

Naruto took a glance at the humans lying in the alley. They weren’t moving.

“Do not worry, Uzumaki-sama, I will take care of them. Please, go on ahead. I will be there momentarily.”

With a stiff nod, Naruto obeyed, wondering how he was going to tell Uchiha he was right.

* * *

“Time is running out, Uzumaki-san’s change will come any day now. If we don’t kill him now, that monster will be released. Then what? The world plunging back into darkness under the lords’ reign?”

Iruka kept his eyes down, clenching his folded hands underneath the table. This meeting was not going well, not that he could say much in Uzumaki’s defense. The elders had called another meeting, gathering all the clan leaders to discuss the current rising problem. Uzumaki.

After seeing the magazine with Uzumaki on the cover, it was practically mocking them. While there was a treaty in place to keep them from going after Uchiha for causing the trouble in the first place, Uzumaki was no under such protection and posed a much bigger threat.

“Umino-san,” the Hyuuga clan leader’s voice startled Iruka out of his thoughts, making him sit upright.

Hyuuga, Hiashi was a man not to be intimidated. He was a refined man, never to raise his voice yet never to be pushed around, Hyuuga was one of the main and original clan leaders. With hair that reached his waist and eyes that matched both his daughters and nephew, it gave Iruka a very clear view of what Neji would look like in the future. However, this man never approved of anything. Iruka could not help but think that his precious students lived difficult lives because of it.

“You have been very quiet,” he said. “Do you not have anything to say?”

“I am the last of my clan who can utilize chakra, and do not have the power or support that the other clans can provide. Therefore, I believe that the matter would best be left to the other clans. However, I will obey whatever is decided and humbly offer my assistance.” Iruka bowed his head.

“Do not bow your head so easily Umino-san,” Tsunade spoke up. She had been silent until then, watching the debate. With her being so close to Uzumaki, her opinion no doubt held little weight. But now that she had finally spoken, she was looking at Iruka with understanding eyes, knowing how hard this was. The only reason they had not gone through with killing Uzumaki yet was due to Jiraiya’s insistence. “Until the chakra has finally left your bloodline completely, you are a clan leader. And a leader must hold their head high, no matter how young they may be.”

“Yes, Tsunade-sama. Forgive me for my moment of weakness.”

She smiled at him fondly, giving Iruka that bit of strength needed to continue the discussion.

“We have let Uzumaki live this long because he was Minato’s son, but his time is up,” the elder Danzo stood. Danzo was one of the three elders, whose unanimous decision could outweigh Tsunade’s decisions, something they had done many times to undermined her. Neither of the three had ever like Tsunade, Minato, or Naruto. The dreaded words that Iruka had been expecting since walking into this assembly were finally said. “The elders have decided to go forth with the assassination of Uzumaki, Naruto.”

Murmurs of agreement went around the room. Why? Why did these people who had watched Naruto grow up not feel anything for him, living in fear of a child who knew nothing?

If Uchiha had never shown himself, Naruto would have been safe.

“Then it is decided,” Tsunade said, raising her voice to signal everyone to quiet down. “Is there anyone who wishes to take on this task?”

Iruka’s hand slowly raised before the sentence had even finished. Tsunade’s eyes fixated on him, and he knew that she was confused even if she was an expert at hiding it. “Umino-san?”

“I can offer little in regard to the Konoha village, so allow me to be useful and carry out this task.”

Nodding her head, Tsunade conceded. “Very well. Umino-san will be the one taking the mission.”

Her words were a hit to the gut. He volunteered, but the words made it much more real. Hearing the people around him talking once again, his resolve strengthened. HE wouldn’t allow these people to get near Uzumaki. They wouldn’t feel anything when they took his life, but he would. Uzumaki deserved to be mourned and his life taken by someone who cared. His death should haunt the person forced to take it.

“Now on to our next topic of discussion,” Tsunade said, her voice turning hard. “The new mission put up on the table. Disabling Hidan.”


	15. Chapter 15

Naruto was used to being scolded for his stupid ideas. Police, Tsunade, Jiraiya, and his teachers, it was a normal occurrence for him. While he felt guilty for causing trouble to others, he felt happy because at that time, he had their undivided attention and that feeling had always overpowered the guilt he had felt. With that in mind, Naruto often tuned out the scolding, knowing what would be said and just basked in the fact that he could be seen.

But he received no lecture today.

Obsidian eyes bore into him, and Naruto could not help but squirm under his gaze. While he wasn’t craving extra attention from Uchiha, Naruto expected Uchiha to scold him as everyone else did, but what Uchiha did was far worse. He didn’t say a single thing. His eyes said everything that needed to be said. He was pissed.

Naruto could deal with lectures, but silence unnerved him to his core. His chest felt tight and it took everything Naruto had to stand in front of him and wait for something to be said. By now, he should have known it wasn’t in Uchiha’s character to raise his voice. However, he would have preferred it over this. What did his silence mean? It was driving him crazy.

Uchiha sat behind his desk, hands folded in front of his mouth, hiding the bottom half of his face like a principal trying to decide what to do with a troublesome student. He held this position for nearly an hour, just staring at Naruto.

Just as Naruto was about to break under the pressure, Uchiha stood up and calmly walked around his desk to Naruto’s side, stopping just beside him.

The look on Uchiha’s face frightened Naruto into forgetting how to breathe for a moment. For a second, he looked just like his brother.

Then, Uchiha punched him.

The punch wasn’t hard enough to break his jaw, but it was hard enough to have him fall ungracefully to the floor. Once Naruto had fallen, Uchiha narrowed his eyes at him and left the room, slamming it behind him.

“What the hell was that?” Naruto rubbed his jaw, trying to soothe the throbbing pain now coursing through it.

“You’ll have to excuse the young master.” Tobi went to Naruto’s side, helping him up. He had been waiting in the back corner of the room after leading Naruto to Uchiha’s study, and Naruto did feel bad that Tobi was forced to stand still the entire time until his master had left. “When you disappeared, he was worried that you were taken by his brother. He was in a panic trying to find you. Imagine how he must feel knowing his fears were almost warranted.”

Naruto looked down at the ground. “I guess I should apologize.”

“You’re going to have to wait until the master returns. I heard the front door slam soon after the young master left the room.”

“So, I have to wait until he gets back?”

Tobi smiled at him like an older brother would, warm and understanding if just a little bit amused by his misery. “I’m sure you will get your chance soon. Just think of it as an opportunity to rest and finish healing.”

“You’re right,” Naruto sighed. The throbbing in his jaw had subsided mostly.

“Before you go rest, Uzumaki-sama, I do have some questions on behalf of the young master. Would it be too much trouble to have you answer them?”

“I’ll do my best,” Naruto answered uncertainly. “What do you need to know?”

“How do you know, Itachi-san? Have you met him before?”

Naruto shook his head. “Never even heard of him until he called Uchiha at that shoot the day after I was bitten. I never even met him until Tokyo.”

“I see. Do you have any idea why he is interested in you? Someone you might know? Something about you he might be interested in?”

Naruto wasn’t so quick to answer that time, thinking of the voice in his head. “I don’t know. He just came after me one day trying to kill me. There isn’t anything special about me except…”

“Except what, Uzumaki-sama?” He urged.

Naruto bit his lip. “You… you promise not to tell anyone?”

Tobi gave him a warm smile. “My lips are sealed.”

Naruto hesitated more, his eyes unable to stay focused on one thing. “I may be . . . schizophrenic. I haven’t been diagnosed or anything, but sometimes I hear a voice in my head, but I don’t think he’d come after me for that.”

He expected surprise or a change in how Tobi looked at him, but instead, Tobi was unfazed, keeping his usual smile. “Everyone has problems, Uzumaki-sama. Schizophrenic or not, you are still you. No need to be ashamed of it.”

Relieved, Naruto smiled back. That honestly went better than he had expected. “Thanks, Tobi-san.”

No matter how well, Tobi accepted his little secret, he still felt awkward and embarrassed and was eager to get out of there. Tobi, however, had one more question. “One last thing, Uzumaki-sama. Does that voice in your head have a name?”

Surprised, Naruto was unsure how to take the question. It seemed random. “I never asked. Why?”

“No reason,” Tobi pushed him towards the door. “Please get some rest. I’ll bring up your dinner, momentarily.”

Still confused as to why Tobi would need to know whether the voice in his head had a name in his head or not, Naruto went to his room in a daze. The voice in his head had been there as long as he could remember. More in his childhood than now. He remembered it talking to him all the time before it gradually grew silent, adding its input only occasionally. Now, it was talking more frequently as it once had. Ever since he had met Uchiha, it was always throwing comments at him here or there. Most of which he ignored.

Ever since he was attacked by Itachi, he had a hollow feeling in the pit of his stomach. Like a part of him had gone missing. The presence which he had associated with that voice had gone dark.

Collapsing onto his bed, metal and physical exhaustion from the day’s events took over.

If the voice was gone, that would be the best outcome wouldn’t it? Maybe he could finally act normal. So why did he feel depressed at the thought of it, like he had lost a part of himself?

Closing his eyes, the questions still lingered until he finally gave into sleep.

* * *

Iruka fastened the last clip on his thin Kevlar vest, taking one last look at himself in the mirror. An entirely black outfit with black protective gear over his forearms, hands, and shins. A black bag was fastened on his waist along with a sword on his back. He was prepared, physically, but mentally he was still lacking.

“This is foolish, Iruka. You should call off this mission.”

The sound of Hatake, Kakashi’s voice didn’t surprise him. His presence was completely erased, so Iruka couldn’t pinpoint where exactly he was, but he had been friends with Kakashi for a long time. His intrusive behavior was commonplace and expected.

“Uzumaki-kun is only a child. Even the weakest member like me should be able to handle him.” Iruka turned from the mirror to pinpoint where Kakashi was. Kakashi was sitting on his bed, arms crossed and tapping his fingers on his arm impatiently. Worry was so deeply ingrained in his face that Iruka worried that perhaps he would try something stupid.

“But you are attached to him. It will cloud your judgment when you least expect it.”

“Would it be so bad if I died?” Iruka asked lightly. “My qi is so weak that I barely qualify as a hunter. It will be an honor if I should die during a mission.”

“And it is that mindset that keeps you for striving to be any better.” Kakashi stood, pacing. Kakashi was known to the students for his laid back and careless behavior. Even to their colleagues, he was considered too eccentric for their liking. No one saw Kakashi like this but him. “You and I both know your skills are in support, not offense. Why do you insist on torturing yourself all of a sudden?

”Who said it was sudden?” Iruka countered calmly, angering Kakashi further.

“Iruka,” he started, grinding his teeth. “This is ridiculous. Stop punishing yourself for what happened nearly a decade ago. Her death was out of your hands.”

“I chose to be here, Kakashi. This and that are two separate things.” Iruka never got mad at Kakashi even if he overstepped his bounds, which was often. “And don’t worry so much. If I fail, there will be someone to support me. Uzumaki-kun is a child who has no training, and Uchiha should be out of town. It will be fine.”

Kakashi didn’t look convinced, showing his worry, so Iruka added some comforting words. “Don’t worry so much. There will be two other hunters to support me if I run into trouble. It is a child who has no training, and we are leading Himura out of town tonight. Everything will be fine.”

Kakashi tapped his foot, showing his discomfort in how it manifested through his actions.

Iruka could only place a hand on his arm. “Have faith in me. That’s all I need.”

Kakashi finally relented, sighing heavily, his shoulders sagging. He leaned forward, grabbing a white mask with feline features painted onto it, handing it to Iruka. “Come see me the moment you finish.”

Iruka smiled, patting his shoulder. “Of course.”

* * *

Naruto didn’t wake when a warm wind blew the French doors open softly and silently, the drapes billowing out away from them. The moonlight lit the room enough to make out shadows and silhouettes.

Someone stepped into the room, the footsteps soundless as they traversed across the room towards the sleeping fledgling.

Naruto sighed in his sleep, turning in his bed, causing the intruder to stop. “Iruka-sensei…” Naruto murmured, hugging his pillow closer to him. “Don’t tell Baa-chan… I wrote Jii-chan’s erotica for his new book.”

The intruder drew a kunai from his belt, running to fingers over the blade then positioned the kunai over Naruto. He plunged the kunai down, aimed at Naruto’s chest.

Naruto’s eyes snapped open, rolling off the bed just in time. The kunai dug into the mattress, ripping it open. “What the hell?!”

The attacker threw the kunai at him at inhumane speeds, forcing Naruto to move. The metal just grazed his arm but left a strong burning sensation that spread up to his shoulder. Cursing, Naruto dodged three shuriken, ducking and weaving to avoid them. While Naruto was distracted, the intruder had moved closer.

The attacks were faster than when Uchiha had trained him and Naruto was taking damage. Small scratches, flared into a dull pain that consumed the entire area. The result was Naruto’s movements becoming stiff and slow. He was getting cornered.

With only one way to escape, Naruto ran to the balcony, jumping off. The intruder followed.

Naruto landed perfectly on his feet thanks to Uchiha’s relentless training, but so did his attacker. “Who are you!” He demanded.

The attacker charged. He was fast and without the confinement of the room, the attack was swifter and stronger. Naruto could barely dodge them, unable to counter. He could keep the final blow from landing, but that was about it.

Naruto, having practiced in the courtyard multiple times, made sure to evade the hole hidden in the grass without thinking, but his attacker was not as aware. During one of the attacks, the intruder tripped, leaving an opening.

Naruto took the opportunity to strike back, but his opponent quickly recovered, stopping a direct attack. Naruto did manage to grab the cloth hiding the lower half of his attacker’s face. Just in case, he had wanted to see who was attacking him at the very least. But seeing who his attacker was, Naruto wished he hadn’t.

His mouth was dry, and his jaw went slack. It couldn’t be. Why would he?

Iruka’s eyes were hardened, and he did not say a word. He only raised the kunai in his hands higher.

“I-Iruka-sensei…why?”

Iruka came at him swinging. His speed faster than before. Naruto began to falter, knocked unbalanced by the discovery of his favorite teacher trying to kill him. he tried to speak, ask him why, but each swipe of the blade, kept Naruto too preoccupied to get the words out.

Naruto was finally thrown off-balanced, losing his footing, and Iruka went in for the killing strike, a kunai to Naruto’s jugular when a hand grabbed Iruka’s wrist, stopping the attack.

The first signs of emotion crossed Iruka’s face at who had stopped him, and it was fear. “Y-you.” Before he could say or do anything else, Iruka was thrown across the courtyard into a tree. Even at a distance, Naruto could hear the bones cracking.

“Iruka-sensei!” Naruto scrambled to his feet, ready to assist his teacher when Tobi stopped him.

“Sorry, Uzumaki-sama,” he said in a remorseful voice. “He has attacked you. I can’t allow you to go to him.”

“But he’s not moving! He needs a doctor!” He tried to get out of Tobi’s grip, struggling futilely against the superior strength.

Tobi smiled. “I’m afraid, I cannot allow you to do that.” With a swift punch to Naruto’s gut, Naruto lost consciousness, out cold.

* * *

“Sasori-sama’s missing?” Sasuke asked, staring intensely at the man before him. “Are you sure?”

Deidara nodded, taking a sip of blood from a wine glass. He was dressed well and, on the outside, looked as composed as ever, but the small tremble in his hand gave his true feelings away. “His lab was a mess when I got there. According to his assistant, some of his files were missing too.”

“Do you know what files?” His mind was working overtime. Sasori was by no means the strongest of the council members, but he was the most needed in keeping the existence of immortals out of the public knowledge. That was something almost everyone wanted, so what use could he have to anyone?

“Files on some humans I think. Humans he had taken an interest in recently. Specifically, four dangerous ones.”

“Hunters?”

Deidara gave him a pointed look. “Who else? Information on average humans are worth nothing except as meals for the lower apparitions. Hunters however can be worth a hundred times that, or so Sasori always told me.” He huffed, slamming his cup on the table, causing the glass to shatter. “That bastard is always trying to get out of chores. Leave it to him to go so far as to get kidnapped.”

He was terrified Uchiha realized, watching as Deidara angrily ordered a new glass. As long as he had known him, he had never shown weakness. “What about the rest of the council?”

“I haven’t been able to get a hold of them. I’m heading back to Russia after the shoot in Oita tomorrow to talk to them personally.”

“If the hunters have attacked Sasori-sama, perhaps they are looking to start another war?”

A cruel smile ruined Deidara’s perfect face. Sinister was the perfect word to describe him. “If the cattle want to come to slaughter, who are we not to oblige?”

Sasuke couldn’t agree more.

Deidara continued to complain, but his mind was elsewhere. For Deidara to classify humans as dangerous, they would have to be of master level, humans who were on par with even the council in power. There were very few of those. Perhaps 1 out of every 50,000 hunters. It may have just been one human, but a human with power of that magnitude could wipe out a coven of vampires alone. Maybe more. Generally speaking, there were only about 4 or 5 masters each generation. Sasuke knew of 15 throughout his life by name. The only names of humans he had bothered to remember. Sasuke was a realist. He knew he was still a child in years. He learned the names to avoid them.

Each of the masters’ bodies were put in the morgue. Too powerful to be buried by normal means. The morgue was considered neutral ground. In 1751, both vampires and hunters agreed that the world didn’t need to know about the existence of the supernatural. As the majority of the human race had started turning to science, deeming vampires a myth, it was in agreement that this turn of events was for the better. Vampires liked not having the attention, making hiding and blending in with humans easier, and the hunters found that vampires tended to stay out of trouble more often when they could blend in.

So in that year, they agreed that all dead vampires and humans killed by vampires would go to the morgue where the more powerful bodies were carefully preserved and left to rot peacefully, while weaker humans were distributed to ghouls to keep them out of trouble or used for experiments by both humans and vampires alike.

With the quickly advancing technology the humans created the following years, the morgue became a necessity. Humans tended to overreact to the unknown causing trouble to both sides, impeding on the hunters' work and annoying the vampires.

For humans to invade the morgue made no sense. Neither side dared to cross that silent pact. So why? As he racked his mind, he only drew a blank. It was another mystery in a recently growing pile of questions, and Sasuke did not like being uninformed. Ever.

As Deidara was still angrily ranting about an assistant of his, Sasuke politely excused himself, placing the money on the table. Deidara was reluctant but let him go, instead asking one of the hosts standing by to entertain him for the night.

It was nearing 4 am. It was time to get back before Uzumaki found himself in trouble again. Now that he wasn’t about to throttle him, it was probably safe to return. Pulling out his cellphone, he called Tobi to ensure that Naruto had not found himself in yet another troublesome situation.

* * *

“Iruka-sensei!” Naruto reached out in front of him. Disoriented and confused, he discovered he was not in the courtyard, but in his bed. The balcony doors were closed and locked and nothing was out of place that would insinuate a fight had taken place.

Was it only a dream?

He sighed, running a hand over his face to wipe the last of sleep from his eyes. Of course, it was. Iruka was a gentle man. There was no way he would be dressed as a ninja trying to kill him.

His stomach rumbled loudly, signaling its desire to eat. He stretched in his bed, kicking off the sheets in the process, and walked downstairs with a slight spring in his step. He was feeling pretty good. The fatigue and pain that had lingered from his stabbing the day before were long gone and from the looks of things, he had slept nearly the entire day. It was late in the afternoon.

His first stop was the kitchen, expecting Tobi to be cooking today’s dinner. It was empty. Surprised, Naruto looked around, unsure of where the man could be. He was the type of man who ran on a fixed schedule and informed Naruto whenever the schedule changed, yet he was gone.

The thought that maybe it was because Naruto didn’t need to eat food anymore crossed his mind, and the recall of what had happened the day before made Naruto lose his appetite. It wasn’t a subject he was quite ready to come to terms with, so he shoved it to the back of his mind.

As the kitchen was one of the few places wired for electricity, a small tv sat on the counter facing the table. Tobi had bought it during the first week of training so Naruto could at least watch the news during his meal breaks during his training. Turning it on, Naruto took a seat, waiting for Tobi to return.

“We are back with more to this breaking story. At 4:15 this afternoon, an explosion went off at the Twilight modeling agency in Beppu, Oita. A woman was seen appearing out of the rubble surprisingly unscathed by the damage. Police are calling it a terrorist attack, but this recent footage obtained by our cameraman on the ground had this shocking footage.”

Naruto tuned into the report at the mention of Uchiha’s workplace, and dread filled him as the footage of the news played. A young woman, dressed in a light blue kimono the cloth cut off at her thigh walked out of the rubble of the building. Her hair styled in an elaborate, traditional Japanese hairstyle. She walked barefooted despite the carnage around her. Too far away to make out her face on camera, the viewers could see her walk out into the open where she was surrounded by the first responders who had arrived on the scene.

The cops had their pistols drawn at her, no doubt telling her to get down onto the ground. Then, out of nowhere, tall ice spikes shot up from the ground, breaking the concrete and impaling the cars and people. Blink and you would have missed it. The spikes were as thick as tree trunks and as tall as two-story buildings, and as fast as they appeared, they retracted just as face, dropping the police officers and cars back down to the earth.

The bodies rained down from the sky, and she walked by, snow being left in her wake.

Yuki-onna was what came into Naruto’s mind when he saw her. If vampires were real, why not other spirits and demons. Panic started to sink in as the camera went back to the wreckage of the building.

“Uchiha?” he whispered weakly, standing from the table. “Uchiha.” He said louder, having difficulties looking away from the screen. Tearing his eyes away he screamed, “Uchiha!” Running just out the door, he was met with an immovable force, Uchiha’s body. Naruto almost fell, but Uchiha grabbed his wrist and kept him from doing so.

“What do you want?” Uchiha replied with a scowl etched onto his face. “I’m trying to sleep.”

With relief, Naruto gestured to the kitchen wildly. “Then answer after the first call. I thought you were dead or something.”

Uchiha’s eyebrows knitted together in confusion. “Why would you think that?”

“Look at the news.”

Sidestepping Naruto, he went into the kitchen to see what had freaked Naruto out into assuming he was dead. They replayed the clip, zooming in on the woman from above, asking citizens to stay inside and to report any information that may be relevant to the police.

The photo was still blurry and taken at an angle, but Uchiha’s eyes had widened just a fraction, signaling recognition. He opened his mouth, closed it, and opened it again with a sharp tone, “Yukina-hime.”


	16. Battle in Beppu

“The number you have dialed is no longer in service. If you believe this to be a mistake─” Sasuke hung up with frustration, the phone’s casing, creaking under the pressure of his grip. Deidara had said the council was not responding, but for Pein not to answer his calls? And he could not get a hold of Deidara either.

“Young master,” Tobi entered the room, bowing. “I have acquired transportation to the mainland as you requested.”

“And Uzumaki?”

“Watching the news, but I do not expect it to distract him for much longer.”

The last thing he wanted to worry about was Uzumaki wandering off while he was busy handling the situation. “Bring the boy from the Inuzuka family here, and his guardian if you must. Make it clear that they have no choice in the matter should he resist.”

“Yes, young master.”

“Once you return, ensure that Uzumaki stays distracted. I do not want him watching the news.”

“Of course.” Tobi left to do as he was told, not questioning why Sasuke would give such an order. Seconds later, Tobi’s presence disappeared from the premises entirely.

No matter if that was the real Yukina-hime or not, the fact that Deidara wasn’t on the scene to take care of it after a large-scale attack meant that either he couldn’t or was ordered not to. With the studio in Beppu destroyed and the timing, either Deidara was caught in the attack, or he had left to return to Russia as he had said he would the night before.

If it was the real Yukina-hime, then the majority of the immortals at the studio would not stand a chance. He had only heard rumors of Yukina-hime’s strength and saw her only once as a child, long before he had turned. There was no possible way that she was still alive, not as a human. News of her death had spread throughout the world. Both vampires and hunters had known and respected her. If she retained even a fraction of her power she had back then….

He couldn’t worry about Uzumaki leaving without permission again, and though he loathed it, he called the only person he could trust to keep Uzumaki safe and in line. That call also went straight to voicemail.

For Gaara not to pick up, the boy who was obsessed with protecting Uzumaki, something must have happened. It made Sasuke hesitant to leave Uzumaki alone. Sasuke was still young. He may have been powerful for his age, but against Yukina-hime, he may not stand a chance. However, Yukina-hime could not be allowed to continue unchecked either. He did not know why she had decided to attack immortals, but she could not be allowed to continue. Something must have brought her here, and chances were they were Itachi. Who was he to ignore his brother’s invitation?

Trap or not, he had spent over a century searching for his brother. He would not allow it to go to waste.

Taking only his cellphone, Sasuke left the office. He only paused once he reached the front door, staring at the corridor that led to the kitchen where Uzumaki was watching. Uzumaki should be safe here even if something were to happen to Sasuke, Tobi would take care of him. Grip tightening around the door handle, Sasuke left the manor, not noticing Uzumaki watching him leave from the landing above.

* * *

A smile of pure glee brightened Orochimaru’s face as another wave of gunshots reverberated throughout the city. So the police had finally been given permission to open fire. Not that it would help. Chaos and panic were already spreading throughout the small city. With emergency evacuation, most of the civilians had cleared the area, but even at the distance, standing on the very top of Beppu Tower, Orochimaru could see the police would stand no chance against the force of destruction. With the news helicopter hovering and transmitting the events live, fear could be felt at every corner as well as confusion and uncertainty. No doubt humans too ignorant to understand what they were seeing were no more than frightened animals in the presence of true perfection.

The gunshots soon died out, signaling the annihilation of the first wave of opposition. How much longer before a real test showed itself? The Japanese Self Defense Force would take time before arriving to the scene. Surely one side or the other would act before then.

“I think we can call this experiment as a success, don’t you think so Kabuto?”

“Yes, Orochimaru-sama,” Kabuto’s voice crackled over the Bluetooth in Orochimaru’s ear. “The others are showing promise as well.”

Positively giddy, Orochimaru chuckled to himself. “Good. Very good. I couldn’t have predicted it would turn out so well. Wouldn’t you say so Gaara-chan?” Looking down at the top of the observation deck, he smiled at his new guest. “My how you’ve grown. You must be very popular with women now.”

“Orochimaru,” he growled. “Finally crawled out of your hole I see.”

”Of course, Gaara-chan.” With a slight tilt of his head, Orochimaru casually dodged and attack, but left a deep graze on his cheek. “A little impatient, aren’t we? I’m sure the shinobi leader didn’t dispatch you to fight me.”

Gaara wasn’t in the mood to answer. Instead, Orochimaru felt something else come his way, forcing him to fall backward, off the tip of the tower to avoid it. Rather than looking like he had lost his balance, Orochimaru kept his back straight, feet together like a gymnast doing a dismount, flipping once in the air and landing on his left foot on the roof of the observation deck.

“Is that how you treat someone who has taken care of you for so many years? I took you in when no one else would. I taught you and made you into what you are.”

“Death would not be enough to compensate for what you did to me,” Gaara said. Orochimaru brought a hand to his cheek wiping the blood away, feeling small grains of sad left behind in the blood.

“So that’s what you’re doing. Your skills have definitely improved. Better control as well. Does that mean you weren’t a failure after all?” Orochimaru was intrigued. Ignoring the purpose as to why Gaara had searched him out. New possible experiments flooded his mind. “If only I had the other one too, I could compare. Perhaps you might know, Gaara-chan. You seem so much more talkative now.”

Gaara didn’t dignify that with a response, staring at Orochimaru with murderous intent in his eyes. That was the Adham that Orochimaru knew. “Very well,” Orochimaru sighed, pulling out a kodachi hidden inside his lab coat. “I’ll play with you first.” With a twisted smile, he added, “Try not to disappoint me this time.”

* * *

Sasuke arrived at the Twilight studios in Beppu. It was easy to bypass the police blockade surrounding the area. The police were in as much confusion as the civilians were, and given the small city, they were struggling to secure the large area, asking for Oita to send additional support while waiting for the Self Defense Force. It was obvious that was all the police were doing, not planning to engage after the slaughter of the first wave of officers. And it was a slaughter.

The building was severely damaged, standing on its last legs, hollowed out, and threatening to collapse. Surrounding the building were the dead bodies of the officers who had responded, all with puncture wounds varying in size, but all lethal with one killing hit. Further out were the civilian casualties of all ages and gender. The trail of destruction that Yukina-hime had left in her wake after the initial attack. The building was on the edge of the city towards the forest, so the civilian casualties were limited, but to anyone else, their stomach would be turned at the carnage.

The casualties inside the Twilight building were more precise. Beheaded bodies covered the floor that he could see inside. Unlike human corpses, vampire corpses were slowly shriveling up. Among the casualties, he could see a detached head with Lianna’s braids drenched in blood covering the face. He did not need to go any further to confirm who it was. Lianna was barely past newborn status, she would have been an easy target.

A scream pierced the air, and Sasuke reacted, running towards the sound. Running along the road parallel to Beppu Bay, he arrived to see a news van run off the road into a ditch and an anchorman impaled on a long icicle through the chest. The anchorman coughed up blood, spraying a few droplets of red onto his attacker’s face before dying. A quick death. 

Just beyond them, a cameraman had fallen, too shocked to run with his camera in his lap. The smell of urine reached Sasuke’s nose standing downwind. Even out of his hands, the camera had a perfect view of the approaching danger as the anchorman’s body was tossed aside, and the woman who had caused it approached.

Her footsteps were fluid and silent, like water, as she traversed across the pavement. Years of assassination training no doubt ingrained into her body. Her eyes were emotionless as if she was incapable of emotion, like something in her being was missing. A dead body missing a soul. Considering she was supposed to be deceased over 100 years ago, no doubt she was missing a soul or maybe the soul had deteriorated.

The cameraman caught sight of Sasuke and his gaze lingered, begging for help. Yukina-hime raised her delicate, pale hand forming the Buddhist hand gesture for threat, a single index finger raised. She was about to attack.

Using his speed, Sasuke sprinted towards the cameraman, scooping him up in his arms and jumping. A large icicle protruded from the pavement where it would have impaled him. Sasuke landed on the icicle and jumped again into the air, landing on the overpass bridge made for pedestrians over the road between the Umitamago Aquarium and Takasakiyama. Sasuke had wondered why she hadn’t gone further into Beppu but could it be she was heading to Oita, a bigger city?

“Th-thank y-y-you.” The cameraman stammered.

Disgusted, Sasuke dropped him, keeping his eyes on his opponent who now had her eyes set on him. “I didn’t do it for you.” If the camera hadn’t been rolling, he would have left him to die. If Uzumaki was still watching, the first thing he would have asked was why didn’t he save him. His dislike for the human only grew when the cameraman scrambled to continue filming. Perhaps he should kill him when the camera was turned away.

He didn’t get a chance though. Yukina-hime was already preparing another attack, and the bay was only meters away, all the water she could need to fuel her attack. Chances of him surviving seemed slim. He was still young, and she was a master.

Jumping down from the bridge, he landed on the pavement. He could lure her onto the mountain, away from the water, assuming she was using chakra manipulation, not creation, but it could backfire. Her movements may be limited as were his own, and her abilities were better suited for long-range while his abilities were barely developed. Even with the katana strapped to his back, he may as well been holding a dagger. He had to find a way to get into striking range, and speed may not be enough.

The sound of something moving underground cause Sasuke to move, jumping to his left just as another ice stalagmite shot up from the ground. Another shot up with even greater speed in front of him which he too dodged, but he lost sight of his opponent. It was only for a second he looked away, the ice barely missing its target, but in that short period of time, she was in position behind him.

Her petite frame belied her magnificent presence, informing Sasuke she was there long before he could see her. Worse, he could not do anything to dodge her next attack. With a sword made of ice in hand, she had it aimed at the center of his chest.

Sasuke grabbed the hilt of his sword, using the sword in the sheath to parry the attack to the best of his abilities. The ice pierced his side but missed any organs. The attack would have crippled a human but was only a minor inconvenience for him. It didn’t mean it didn’t hurt.

While impaled on her sword, she broke it, following with a kick aimed at the back of his head.

Sasuke did a better job blocking, maneuvering his body just enough to block with his left arm. Such a small body and her attack was comparable to blocking a sledgehammer and perhaps more concentrated. The hole in his side was nearly healed, but the kick left a hairline fracture in his arm.

She aimed again with the intention to behead him with an ice dagger that had been hidden in her left hand. Her attacks were fast as her size would have suggested, but she was as strong as any other vampire. However, she seemed adamant about fighting him in close quarters than from farther away where she had the advantage. The attack pattern seemed more personal compared to when she prepared to kill the human cameraman.

Perhaps he should thank his brother. If he hadn’t attacked Uzumaki, he wouldn’t have begun training Naruto, dusting off his own skills in the process. He wouldn’t have survived this long otherwise. But surviving wasn’t winning, and he was barely doing the former. She had him on the ropes. He was entirely reactionary to her attacks.

The shine from the camera lens drew his attention. This fight might be better on the mountain after all. Jumping over the railing, separating the road from the sidewalk, Sasuke ran into the trees, hoping she would come after him. As he had hoped, she chased after him. She matched his steps, keeping up with his speed, running parallel to him up the mountain.

Having time to draw his katana, he did so as she recreated her ice sword. Years of fighting, there was one thing Sasuke had learned. It wasn’t about how much power one had but how one used it. While he was human, Sasuke had been able to wield his chakra freely. He retained a small portion of that ability though greatly hampered. Pushing his chakra into his blade, a thin layer covered his blade. With a flick of his wrist. His blade sliced through the trunk of a tree as easily as water.

The falling tree between them broke each other’s line of sight, giving Sasuke time to plan a counterattack. Predictably, she cut through the trunk again, clearing the path to where he had been, but he had lowered his stance so that when she cut through, he was positioned just under her torso and inside her stance.

Katana ready, he lunged forward, slicing into her chest. Ice formed around the blade and wound, keeping him from pulling it out, so instead he threw his blade, therefore his opponent into the small building made to collect tickets to see the monkeys on the mountain.

The building collapsed as her body went through the glass and walls. She wouldn’t get out of that attack unscathed.

That’s what Sasuke thought. She pushed aside the debris, standing without a single scratch on her minus the sword through her stomach. She pulled it out by the blade before it froze and promptly shattered in her hand. He no longer had a weapon, limiting his range of attack even further.

There was something new about Yukina-hime this time. Where once there was nothing, there was a spark of something. Not quite emotion, but not quite empty anymore either. She tilted her head as if seeing Sasuke in a new light. “You are different from the others,” she said. Her voice soft and fluid. She spoke with clarity and regality, showing her high birth status, but like her, it was missing something. “You are much more problematic. You must be at least 300.”

“130. I was turned in 1888.” Putting his surprise aside, Sasuke was more than happy to indulge in the conversation as he bought himself time to find another weapon. One thing was certain, whatever she was, she was no vampire or human. Having been injured, his senses were heightened, and his hunger was scratching at the back of his mind. He could hear the steady heartbeat of the woman in front of him. Even so, he did not desire her blood.

She raised an eyebrow simulating surprise though emotion was still absent from her. “Such experience for a vampire who has yet to reach adulthood. However, you have not yet matured enough to have access and make use of your abilities. Your chakra has yet to fully awaken. Perhaps in another century or two, but too far in the future to be of use now. What ability would it be I wonder?”

“I am already aware of what my ability will manifest in my blood. I had access to it when I was human as did my parents.”

“Is that so? So you were part of the noble families were you. Judging by your age, from one of the last. What family if I may inquire?”

Sasuke watched her with great caution. From what he had seen from the destruction of the city, she had been killing first and asking no questions later, yet here she was, talking to him as if she had not tried to kill him minutes before.

He was stalling for time, trying to come up with a plan and perhaps another to come to his aid, though the latter was highly unlikely. “Uchiha. I am Uchiha, Sasuke.”

“Uchiha,” she repeated. Speckles of emotion crossed her face, then faded. Maybe it did have a soul. “Like Uchiha Shinta?”

Sasuke had no idea who Shinta was. From his memory, he did not recall any family members by that name, and there was little chance she could have meant his family. His family had always been a part of the world of immortals. He played along, however, intent on finding out more of who may have brought her here or what her goals were. “Yes, like Uchiha, Shinta.”

Yukina-hime chuckled, still lacking but somehow managed to give her character warmth. “Fitting that a descendant of his would put me out of my misery. I am not one to fight with children.”

“Ironic coming from a woman who looks barely 14.”

The corner of her lips turned up in the beginnings of a smile. “Child, I do not belong in this realm. Until now, my mind has been clouded with nothing but the instinct to destroy and obey. I was a peaceful woman, and it causes me pain to cause the deaths of so many, vampire or not.”

To be referred to as a child was grating on Sasuke’s nerves. While he could not correct humans, those who knew what he was should know better than to judge based on his appearance. He may have played the part for many years, but he was turned at 19 and lived 130 years after that. He was in no way a child. “Then why stop now?”

“Do not be fooled by my current state. I have not stopped but merely reawakened temporarily, holding back the instinct which will consume me again any moment; though, if you attack me now, I will most likely regress to the way I was. I had hoped that you were older. A vampire without an ability will be of no use to stop me.”

“You should not underestimate me. I may be more powerful than you think.”

“Perhaps in another 50 years or so. The Uchiha’s wind would be a fitting end.”

Sasuke froze. “Were you close to the Uchiha family?”

“I was close to Shinta-san. He was a dear friend of mine, though his ideal was too far ahead of his time. We strove for peace when the world was constantly striving for war.” Her eyes closed. “My control is slipping again.”

A vampire and a hunter friends? That wasn’t possible, but how else would she know about his family’s ability. Perhaps if they had been enemies, but she did not speak like they had been. She spoke as if she was talking about a close friend or lover. He wanted to ask more, truly interested in their conversation now, but she spoke before he could.

“It is a painful thing,” she said wistfully. “To have your soul forced back into a body that should no longer be in this realm. Your soul becomes trapped and strained, damaging it, tearing at it as it tries to escape until it becomes nothing but a battery to power a puppet. I wish to be killed before I become like my brethren.”

Brethren? “There are more of you?”

“Four more that I am aware of. Three of which are no longer, broken beyond repair, and I am losing my own battle.” She closed her eyes again, and when she reopened them, Sasuke could see her internal struggle, holding a collection of emotions. Loneliness. Fear. Anger. Joy. Why would she feel joy in a situation like this?

“Believe it or not young Uchiha, I do not hate immortals. I realize that your kind has come to fear shinobi, but it is not what Shinta and I had intended when we organized the shinobi. It was supposed to create balance, not conflict. I can only say that I am happy that it is an Uchiha that will help me meet my end. It is fitting. Her body was gradually becoming defensive as she spoke. “Forgive my brethren for they know not of what they are doing.” 

“Why would a hunter like you want to befriend immortals? How did you come in contact with the Uchiha family?”

“I am sorry, child, but my time is up.”

“Who brought you back?” Ryunosuke tried to keep her consciousness with him, but he was failing. He was watching the small threads of emotion slip away where only a puppet remained. She took a defensive stance, and the air around her was dropping in temperature. Whatever had remained was gone.

Sasuke refused to blink and was rewarded by seeing her move this time and effectively blocking the spear of ice aimed at his head with his left arm. The ice penetrated his forearm, but he had planned for it. He used the ice protruding from his arm to block the incoming attacks, taking Yukina-hime off guard as she expected him to dodge. In the time it took her to recalculate, he had forced his way into attack range and delivered a powerful kick to her face.

It didn’t have the desired effect, however. She grabbed his leg, unaffected by the attack, and threw Sasuke back down the mountain, through two tees, and back onto the road below. His body ripped up the asphalt as he tumbled across, forcing his hands to dig into the road to come to a stop. He stood as pain wracked his body. She shouldn’t have been so strong. She was known for ice, not strength enhancement techniques. Worse yet, he was back in the open near the water.

A piece of wood had pierced his leg, but he decided he wouldn’t remove it. He was already getting hungry and losing more blood to heal would just cloud his thoughts, but his body made its desire known, causing his fangs to ache and his senses to grow sharper, wanting to focus on the blood around him.

He used his heightened senses to watch Yukina-hime who emerged from the trees as well. She didn’t appear to be fighting close quarters anymore. She was taking the logical approach and attacking at a distance. As such, she used the massive body of water behind him to her advantage. Water from the bay that had soaked the road from a large wave had frozen his feet, encasing them in ice.

If he had time, he may have been able to break free, but Yukina-hime was already prepared with another long sharp icicle in position and this time, he could not block it. It pierced his chest, grazing his heart.

Sasuke coughed up blood, but he wasn’t dead yet. His heart wasn’t destroyed, but it could be. He removed the ice before she could command it to move and finish the job, but that was all he could do. He lacked strength. The wound to his heart was healing at a snail’s pace and moving now would kill him. Yukina-hime had four more spears, floating in the air in front of her, at the ready to kill him. Was this where he would meet his end? Staked through the heart?

Yukina-hime must have sensed his helplessness. She drew near, crossing the distance in a matter of seconds, getting behind him and yanking his hair back, exposing his neck. So he was to be decapitated then.

She hadn’t even used a fraction of her real strength. She had gone easy on him. The insult of being taken lightly burned his blood. After everything he had done, after everything he had survived, he could not die here. His brother was still out there, and Uzumaki was still under his care. He refused to die here. Not now.

The air around him reacted to his emotions, becoming denser, sharper. Sasuke grabbed the surge of power that flooded his veins, taking it and commanding it to respond. A gust of wind propelled one of the ice spears forward, but instead of being aimed at him, it was aimed at Yukina-hime. She released him, but the unexpected attack had caused her to be delayed in responding. The spear went through her chest instead of his.

Taking the opportunity, he freed himself, two blades of wind, shattering the ice.

“The kamikaze,” Yukina-hime muttered, though there was no emotion to her voice, more like stating a fact.

Sasuke distanced himself from her, feeling lighter on his feet than before. It had been a long time since he had access to his chakra like this. He had forgotten the feel of it. Perhaps the gods were on his side.

With the wind swirling around him forming a thin barrier, Sasuke asked. “Ready for round two?”

* * *

It was even.

Uchiha and Yukina-hime were critically injured. Uchiha had landed severe blows to the woman, fueled by the high of his new power, reflecting her attacks, moving faster and stronger than before. His wounds were not healing at all, a warning that he needed blood. His left arm was useless and was his right leg. Discomfort was carved into his face as he struggled to ignore his desire to feed, but there were times where he was distracted by the humans moving nearby, specifically the cameraman still recording from the bridge, opening him to attack more frequently, but it was not as if Yukina-hime was not also battered.

Her right arm was completely missing, and her left shoulder had a deep gash that exposed the bone. Her jaw was dislocated and there were large greenish bruises under the torn fabric of her clothing.

Uchiha had managed to get a kunai from his attacker, which he was wielding as a last resort as did she. Both were low on chakra.

The cameraman was still recording it live for everyone to see, though he was no longer looking through the lens. He was watching it through his own eyes, unable to believe what he had witnessed.

Orochimaru could not blame him. If he had to compare the scene in front of him, he would compare it to a standoff between two samurai, blades drawn. The next attack would be the last.

The result of this experiment was quite promising, though Yukina-hime had exhausted much of her chakra without reason earlier when attacking the Twilight studio. She had surpassed his expectations though. Without chakra, her body was beginning to deteriorate, but it had lasted much longer than he had predicted. The only question left was whether she was able to kill the little Uchiha before she expired.

Like samurai, they both charged at each other, each wielding their blades. No techniques. No defense. Just the attack. A loud metal clang echoed as they passed one another then they stopped at their follow-through.

The first one to fall was Uchiha. His body hit the pavement hard, eyes closed, and arm twisted and mangled. Yukina-hime did not move. Victory looked certain.

The cameraman used his camera to zoom in on Yukina-hime to get a better look. There was a thin red line on her neck. After a few seconds, he realized what had happened. He looked away just in time before the head fell off its body and vomited the contents of his stomach. The body followed suit, its form shriveling up and crumbling like dirt. The form of a body after decaying for over a millennium.

Orochimaru casually looked over his shoulder at Gaara’s body, no longer breathing and lying in a pool of his own blood. A scowl appeared on Orochimaru’s lips at the reminder. That boy had caused him quite a problem, but his research had saved his life. The blood from his head wound flowed into his eyes constantly, and his legs were virtually useless. This body didn’t last long.

“Kabuto, prepare a new body for me. Gaara-chan ruined this one.”

“I already have one prepared for you, Orochimaru-sama,” Kabuto said. “Do you wish for me to come retrieve you since Yukina-san failed?”

“Yes. Then retrieve the results from the others afterward. I’m curious about how the rest of them were dealt with.”

“Very well. And Gaara-san?”

Orochimaru watched the boy. “It’s a shame, but his dead body is of no use to me. He’s a failure after all. It’s too late to start from scratch. Let it feed the crows at least.”

“Very well. I will send someone to retrieve you promptly.” Kabuto broke the connection.

It was time for himself to leave, he could see the helicopters coming towards his location. Burning a talisman, a man appeared, dressed in black, picking up Orochimaru in his arms. “Get me out of here,” Orochimaru commanded.

The man gave a brief nod, taking a step back, merging with the shadow of the building, and disappearing from sight.

* * *

“Uchiha! Uchiha!” Naruto yelled over the deathly silence of the battlefield. When he had saw Uchiha leave after clearly knowing who the terrorist on TV was, Naruto had followed. He didn’t take the same transportation. When he saw Uchiha dropping off a cliff onto a passing speed boat, he knew it would be impossible to continue following, so he changed directions and went to commander one of the boats from the harbor. Uchiha’s boat was heading for the mainland. It didn’t take a genius to figure out where he was going.

While Naruto drove, he pulled up the news on his phone, so he could stay alert as to where the terrorist was and what she was doing. Sure enough, soon after he had docked his boat, Uchiha appeared on the news, fighting the terrorist until they disappeared in the trees of Takasakiyama. Stealing a bike, he made his way to the area, slipping past the barricade as they yelled at him to return.

He could smell blood all around him but worry for Uchiha’s well-being overrode the need to eat. Eventually abandoning the bike due to the destroyed pavement, he went in on foot, continuing to call for him. Finally picking up a scent he didn’t recognize and had a physical aversion to, Naruto followed his nose, taking a chance that it was what he thought it was, vampire blood.

Uchiha was lying face down, bleeding out onto the pavement.

Naruto ran to his side, rolling Uchiha onto his back. Uchiha wasn’t breathing. Naruto’s blood ran cold, and his own breathing stopped. He couldn’t be dead. Not him too. He was too stubborn to die. Panic set in. His heartbeat was beating erratically, and his hands began to shake. “Uchiha?” he said weakly. “Come on bastard, wake up. This isn’t funny.”

Blood coated Naruto’s hands, and his breaths barely filled his lungs as he tried not to hyperventilate. Why wasn’t he healing? He thought vampires were supposed to heal almost everything. “I swear bastard, I’ll kill you if you die on me. I need you alive.” His fingers dug into Uchiha’s clothes, gripping the body hard. “So wake up, Uchiha!”

“You’re too loud, moron.”

It took a few seconds for Naruto to realize who had spoken. The voice was low rough, but it definitely belonged to Uchiha. The still figure in his arms had spoken. Uchiha’s chest was still unmoving and his eyes were still closed, so Naruto wasn’t sure if he had heard correctly, wondering if it was just his imagination running wild again. Then dark eyes opened, meeting Naruto’s azure-colored ones.

“Y-you aren’t breathing, so…how….”

“I don’t need to breathe. Just a habit.” Uchiha’s eyes fell shut once more and, with what seemed like great difficulty, took air into his lungs. “Better?”

“Dammit, bastard! If you were alive, why didn’t you tell me sooner?!”

“…Saving energy.”

Naruto was ready to scold him about worrying others, but he could hear pain ln Uchiha’s words and see the strain in his expression to keep it neutral. Uchiha was trying not to worry him.

Naruto’s expression softened, trying not to show the worry on his own face, instead asking, “Are you okay?”

Uchiha gave a weak snort. “Don’t be nice now. You’ll make me think I’m dying.” When the comment didn’t even get a chuckle from Naruto, Uchiha took another breath for his next words. “I need blood. A lot of it.” He stopped breathing again, keeping his body still.

It occurred to Naruto that Uchiha wasn’t breathing not only because of the pain it caused but because of how much blood was in the air. Naruto may have forgotten, but Uchiha’s mind would not.

Naruto was uncertain of what to do. If he complied with Uchiha’s request, those people would die or be turned. But what about Uchiha? Would he die if he didn’t get blood? He never said that vampires would die if they didn’t eat. Only that it was instinctual, and that the instinct would eventually take over if not sated.

But if he did not eat, Uchiha would be vulnerable. He was on the news and that would alert people that he wasn’t human. It might attract more people who would want to kill him. Or worse, Uchiha might go off to find people to feed on himself.

“Would a blood drive work? Is it fresh enough?”

Uchiha was silent for several seconds. It was becoming clear that the conversation was taking a toll on Uchiha. “Theoretically, but do you think there would be right now?”

No. “A huge accident with injured people, why wouldn’t there be one?” He tried to reassure Uchiha but fell flat. Even if there was a blood drive somewhere nearby which was unlikely given the chaos and evacuation, he wouldn’t know where. He’d be traversing the city with a hungry vampire with injured people all around searching for it. 

“I’ll get you to a hospital.” At least then Naruto could use already dying patients. With the chaos, they might go unnoticed.

Uchiha didn’t speak, only nodded and closed his eyes. Naruto’s worry increased that Uchiha seemed to be getting weaker. Carefully, he lifted Uchiha onto his back, minding his wounds as much as possible. Naruto had no idea how he was going to carry Uchiha back to town, but he was going to try.

“Don’t move and put your hands in the air.” Naruto had been so preoccupied, he hadn’t noticed the cars and army approaching. A line of American soldiers had their rifles trained on them. Now that Naruto thought about it, he had heard the sound of helicopters in the area, but he had mistakenly assumed it was the sound of news copters and ignored it. Now that he could see, they were definitely American military.

The best he could, Naruto raised his hands into the air, trying not to let Uchiha fall from his back at the same time.

“ _Bloody Americans_ ,” Uchiha whispered against his back in English of all languages. Despite the situation, Naruto found himself trying not to laugh, cracking a small smile.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So yeah, these places mentioned in this chapter are real. I have been on the road they fought on and on the beach, Gaara is bleeding out on. Even in the building where Orochimaru was standing on with the tower. I even saw the monkey's on the mountain where Sasuke was fighting. Those monkeys aren't caged by the way. They could totally make their way to town if they wanted to. Beppu is a nice place and my favorite restaurant while I was there was Osaka Osho. I've been craving such good kareage, egg soup, and gyoza since I returned to the states.


	17. Chapter 17

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I was tired and lazy while editing. So much, so, I didn't bother changing Gaara's brother's speech patterns to a more Kankuro like tone. Sorry in advance, but I think only two people really read this and they know what I'm about by now. Thanks for the constant comments you two.

Naruto bit his lip until it bled. This was not good. Not good at all.

His hands were still in the air, starting to feel numb from lack of blood circulating through them. They have been up for over 5 minutes now. He was fairly certain the upper officers of the military were trying to figure out how to proceed. To them, there were two high school boys, one who apparently defeated a woman who had caused extensive damage to the city with supernatural powers while the other barged their way through a perimeter to attend him.

Naruto shifted Uchiha’s weight slightly, trying not to make any sudden moves. There were already seen as a threat, and he had caught rumors about Americans having itchy trigger fingers on the news. To say he was freaking out on the inside was an understatement. He was terrified. How was he going to get Uchiha out of here?

Uchiha groaned softly into Naruto’s ear at the shift, making Naruto’s face flush until he remembered that the vampire on his back was severely injured. “Just hang on, we’ll get out of this soon,” he whispered, his eyes searching for a way to get out. He may have some abilities now, but it was nowhere near vampire speed or strength. He couldn’t dodge bullets or leap a building in a single bound. He smiled at the bad comparison. He was definitely losing it.

“I smell blood,” Uchiha whispered.

Naruto stood a bit straighter, using his tongue to clean up the blood that had dribbled down his chin, but Uchiha didn’t stop there.

“I hear it,” his voice dropped lower, huskier that sent chills down Naruto’s spine. “There’s a lot of it.” The pain that had been in his voice was replaced with an animalistic hunger, and more startling was when Naruto realized he was beginning to want to be on the receiving end of that hunger. He closed his eyes trying to block out that disturbing thought. They had to get out of here or else Uchiha would kill them. He didn’t think the Americans would enjoy finding out how many cartridges of bullets it would take to down a vampire, especially one as hungry as the one on his back.

“Try to suppress it, bastard. This meat is a bit too tough.”

Naruto didn’t hear anything for a long while from Uchiha, and Naruto assumed he had been too focused on his prey to care. He was relieved when he heard that soft and familiar chuckle. “That was a horrible joke.”

“That’s what I’m here for, bad comedy relief.”

Uchiha had gone quiet again, but Naruto knew this time it was because he was trying to restrain himself by blocking out everything around him.

Another few minutes passed by agonizingly slow. Naruto was beginning to think about making a run for it when an officer emerged from behind the line of gunmen. Naruto watched the man carefully, ready to run if necessary if they tried something. The man kept his face neutral as he approached, his dark brown hair flying in all directions in the wind.

He was Japanese, and his police badge was showing clearly on his belt. He had a revolver on his waist, but he made no move for it. Naruto resisted retreating as he approached, eying the guns still trained on him. He stopped in front of Naruto. “Seems like you’re in a bit of a mess, kid.”

Naruto was still wary. His tone was light, almost friendly, and that put Naruto on edge. Police officers were never that friendly without a reason. He was afraid, but that didn’t stop his instinct to talk back against authority. “What of it?”

“Well, the way I see it, you have three options,” he said. You can come with me and answer some questions while your friend there gets some medical attention, you can choose not to cooperate and be taken to prison until we figure out what’s going on ourselves, or you can try to run. Do know that if you try, there are orders to open fire.”

Naruto went back to biting his lip. He didn’t seem to have much choice. If he let Uchiha leave with them, it would be bad. Either Uchiha would kill them or they would find out he wasn’t human. If he ran, Uchiha wouldn’t die, but he would, and Uchiha would still be in their hands.

His whole body shook with fear and indecision. He didn’t want to go to jail. He didn’t want to die, but he also didn’t want to unleash a hungry monster knowingly onto them either.

“Cooperate,” Uchiha muttered so softly, only Naruto could hear. “I’ll be fine.”

Uchiha’s instructions gave relief to Naruto, taking the strain of making a bad decision away from him as well as the guilt for what seemed to him a selfish decision.

“I’ll cooperate with you,” Naruto said slowly. “But you have to trust me on a few things.”

The main raised his eyebrows, obviously not expecting him to try to bargain.

“The bastard on my back needs to be tied down before being loaded into an ambulance. Tightly. Also… don’t treat him. Just leave him tied up with something strong or in a cell and keep your distance if you can. Even if he doesn’t seem to be breathing for a really long time.

The man was shocked at the request. Naruto would have been too if he didn’t know the reason behind it. The man did keep it restrained rather well.

“Do you want your friend to die?”

Naruto shook his head. “He won’t die. He’s too stubborn to. However, you all will if you don’t do as I say.”

His words sounded like a threat. Naruto knew that, so he tried to seem as sincere as possible, trying to get across that it was for their safety. If he said anymore, it would just complicate things.

The man considered him, not saying anything for a long time. “We’ll see what we can do but refusing medical treatment to prisoners or suspects may be impossible.”

“I know. Thank you for taking me seriously.” Naruto bowed his head to the best of his abilities. At least, they had a warning. It was all he could do.

“I am Officer Yamato, Tenzo.”

“Uzumaki, Naruto.”

“Alright Uzumaki-san, give me a moment to make arrangements.” Yamato stepped away to discuss the arrangements, and Naruto didn’t dare to move. He didn’t think the Americans were going to sit by after being deployed. Surely, they would want questions answered too. How much power did they have over Japan? Would he be forced to be interrogated by them too? What if the FBI got involved? Or was that the CIA? He heard they still did torture.

“Stop thinking,” Uchiha whispered into his shoulder. “If your heart beats any faster…” he trailed off, but Naruto understood what he was getting at. If the hunger for blood was anything close to what Naruto had experienced─ which it probably was a hundred times worse─ Naruto was looking to be quite delicious. Naruto had mixed feelings about that.

Turning off his brain was no easy task, despite what people said about his intelligence, but Naruto tried, focusing instead on the woman Uchiha had fought. He wondered who she was. If Uchiha had known her. It came off that way, how he immediately involved himself after seeing her. Had she been a vampire too?

Officer Yamato returned, followed by a stretcher and several armed soldiers. Naruto was powerless as they took Uchiha from him and placed him on the stretcher. He wasn’t breathing, his skin was below normal human temperature, and he had no pulse.

“He’s dead,” the paramedic had said, preparing to cover him with a sheet.

“He’s not!” Naruto replied automatically. The paramedic looked sympathetic, and Naruto wondered if he should correct them. It might buy Uchiha some time to escape if they thought he was dead or they might start dissecting him or worse, Uchiha unable to contain himself any longer. “Sorry… I just…”

“I’m sorry about your friend,” Officer Yamato offered his condolences.

Maybe they assumed he was in a daze as he watched Uchiha get carted away, but truth was, he was battling with his conscience. “Tie him up… just to be safe.”

Without looking, Naruto could feel the observing eyes of the officer behind him. Yamato may have acted friendly, but there was an underlying danger in his eyes. This man wasn’t someone to cross, and that nature reminded Naruto of Jiraiya.

“Would you follow me, Uzumaki-san?”

Naruto nodded, determined not to say anything until he could contact Jiraiya or his godmother. He was a minor, but he didn’t expect them to treat him as such with this accident.

Yamato led him to a car, opening the passenger side door for him, surprising Naruto. He didn’t want to question it, so he got in without a word. Watching the ambulance with Uchiha inside pulling out.

“You should relax. Too much stress at your age isn’t good for the body.”

“Would you be able to relax in my position?” Naruto’s voice was steady and calm. In a strange way, his fear had dwindled the moment he saw that Uchiha was taken away successfully. Now it was just him in a car like Asuma’s getting arrested again.

“True. It’s not like you made things easy on yourself. You should at least take out the contacts.”

Naruto snorted. Yamato was just like every other person in Japan. “I don’t wear contacts, and before you say anything, my hair isn’t dyed either.”

“Is that right?” Yamato sounded interested. “It must be difficult for you.”

“You mean when people like you assume I’m a troublemaker based on my appearance?” Naruto drawled his words, like the way a delinquent would. “Then I suppose so.”

Naruto knew what Yamato was doing. He was trying to figure Naruto out, looking for reasons as to why Naruto might have gotten involved and possibly put together a psychological profile. He didn’t plan to really tell him anything. The police had 23 days to hold him without an indictment. They would use that time to try to make him talk. Hopefully, someone will come for him before then.

But will someone come?

“Sorry. That was rude of me. I promise that if you cooperate, we’ll send you home in a few hours.”

Naruto didn’t answer, watching the scenery go by as they went into the city.

The trip wasn’t long. It was a small city after all. They pulled into the station, and Yamato put the car in park. Yamato got out as well as Naruto. “You must be hungry. Let me treat you to some food.” Yamato was walking off toward the department, his back turned to Naruto.

It was a trick, right? It had to be. With Naruto’s improved abilities, he could run away and have a decent chance of escaping. He was an obvious suspect in the events that just transpired, so why wasn’t Officer Yamato treating him like one. If he ran, he would look guilty and be in more trouble, but his life was already over being a vampire. At some point, he would have had to disappear anyway, but what about his friends and family? If he ran, it would cause them much more trouble in the future.

His inner dilemma lasted only seconds, ending with Naruto following Yamato into the station.

* * *

It was dark.

And there was pain. Lots of pain.

Where was he? Why couldn’t he move?

He was frightened. Terrified. Had he been taken again? He had to escape. He couldn’t go through that. Not again.

“I think he’s waking up,” he heard a voice say from somewhere nearby. It sounded familiar.

“He should be. He e took in almost 3 liters of blood since they picked him up.” That voice was familiar too.

“ _If you are done speaking, why don’t you attend to him at once.”_ He knew that voice.

Gaara’s green eyes slowly opened, temporarily blinded by the florescent lights overhead. His eyes adjusting, he took sight of the white walls and the eerie sound of the heart monitor that was quickening its pace every second as it reflected Gaara’s panic. He felt fear clutch his heart, squeezing it until he couldn’t breathe, and he was gasping for air. His body wouldn’t respond to his commands, and the panic dulled his mind of rational thinking.

“Whoa, Gaara, breath. You’re safe, now.” Gaara’s eyes shifted to the side. Tsunade, Haruno, and his brother were hovering over his bed. While Tsunade's face had concern etched into her features, his brother and Haruno were more of a mix of disinterest and annoyance. The panic that had gripped him left his body, and he forced himself to calm and maintain control over his body and mind. This wasn’t Orochimaru’s lab. He was safe.

“What happened?” His voice was garbled, sounding something between a dying cat and a garbage disposal. When he spoke, his throat became engulfed in pain, flaring up like fire. It represented how weak he was at that moment. He loathed it.

“When you didn’t show up to fight Yukina-hime, I sent others to find you and possibly offer you backup if necessary. You were barely alive. Orochimaru must not have known about the full extent of your abilities now. We had a chopper transport you back to the island,” Tsunade filled in for him. Her face turned into that of an angry mother and, as expected, an angry lecture followed.

“What do you think you were doing taking on Orochimaru alone! You know better than anyone how outmatched you are with him. You should have let us handle it.”

 _  
“Do not yell at my brother, Ms. Tsunade.”_ Gaara’s brother spoke up, still in that detached business-like voice. “ _He would not have been in such a situation to begin with if you didn’t use him as you pleased.”_

 _“Don’t pretend to care about him,”_ Tsunade sneered back.

_“Typical American. Playing the hero in front of others when in reality it's only about image and political gains.”_

Tsunade ground her teeth. _“I gave up my citizenship to be a Japanese citizen. I do not speak for the Americans. You’re lucky I even allowed you to enter the country.”_

_“How kind of you to let a Middle Eastern into your borders. Going to blame this incident on Middle Easterners as well?”_

Tsunade was on the verge of snapping. The vain in her forehead was throbbing and her fist was clenched.

Gaara tuned their arguing out, staring at the ceiling. If he concentrated enough, he could feel his broken bones rapidly healing themselves and his wounds closing, but he still needed time for it to heal properly. Facing Misao had done more than tire him physically. Dare he say, he was still afraid. Like the child he once was.

“Tsunade-sama,” Haruno interrupted before a fight could break out. “Uchiha is up as well. Should we interrogate him now that Gaara has stabilized?”

Haruno was dressed as a nurse, her hair perfectly placed in a bun to keep stray hair from distracting her from her work. Gaara had always hated her, especially after she started dating Uzumaki.

“You’re right Sakura-kun. Could you bring him here?” Tsunade of course was dressed as a doctor. It would be a strange sight to anyone who didn’t know about the real Tsunade at the school. Gaara had seen her like this more than he would have cared for. He could only strain his eyes to make out the English writing on his medical charts in her hands. She did it on purpose because she knew that Gaara disliked the language and chosen Korean as his language requirement. Very few at the school chose a language other than English, but Gaara hated the language. Orochimaru had used it a lot.

“Uchiha is here?” Gaara asked after a few tries.

“We couldn’t let the public have him. In addition, he stopped Yukina-hime. For now, he’s being treated as a temporary guest,” Tsunade was bitter about the situation, and she failed to hide her disgust at the idea from her voice.

“If you will excuse me,” Sakura bowed to Tsunade before leaving to get Uchiha.

 _“I will be leaving as well._ ” Gaara’s brother said, typing away on his phone’s keyboard. _“I have a business to manage.”_ Pocketing his phone, he put in one last jab. _“Try not to get him killed this time.”_

“Your brother is so charming,” Tsunade said sarcastically once his brother had left.

“Orochimaru….” Gaara trailed off knowing the truth, but as he feared, she replied.

“He got away. We planned to hold the vampire council responsible but…. Well, it would be better to wait until Uchiha arrives. He should hear this too.”

The sun was just going down outside the window. He had been knocked out for a few hours.

“Should I bring in Neji-kun? He knows right?”

“…No.”

The woman sighed wearily at his behavior. Moments later Uchiha arrived.

He was a mess. He had borrowed clothes that were too big for his frame, his hair was clumped together with dried blood─ probably his own─ his skin was discolored in various places, patches of angry red standing again pale skin, and his eyes were slightly unfocused, signs of poisoning. Of course, the shinobi would not allow Uchiha to walk around at full power, but poisoning was a bit too far. Gaara barely repressed the shiver of remembering the pain even a low dose caused, but Uchiha’s face was neutral so it must have been a low dosage. Overall, there was no sign he had dozens of broken and shattered bones with deep lacerations and holes all over his body hours before.

Uchiha took a seat in the corner of the room, plopping down the chair without a single shred of grace. He was either in a lot of pain or very irritated. It was difficult to tell which. One thing that was clear was that he was hungry.

Uchiha leaned back in the chair closing his eyes.

“Now that both of you are here, I suppose I can tell you the aftermath of the incident.” Tsunade may have said she was going to address both of them, but she kept her eyes solely on Gaara.

“The four incidents have been taken care of. Their remains were collected and properly disposed of this time. Thankfully, it seems they were resurrected with only a small portion of their abilities and only part of their consciousness. Any more, and it would have been a massacre.”

Tsunade’s face turned grim and her years began to show on her face for a moment. “The attacks were very public, and the damage extensive. Even worse it was on TV and caught on cell phone cameras and video. I really curse the day those things were invented.”

“Is it not your job to be able to contain incidents like this?” Uchiha asked. His way of speaking was outdated, and despite his young face, it suited him. His tone was of a CEO displeased with his subordinate.

Tsunade was bristling with anger. She kept her back to him, trying to ignore him as she continued. “Since the Americans were involved. It’s not that simple. I cannot control what they recorded and send to their leaders nor can I stop them from posting on the internet either. And I can’t pass it off as a terrorist incident or equipment malfunction with such large-scale destruction, and the media is being persistent.”

Picking up a remote from the side table, she turned on the TV. “You really should have reconsidered your chosen career, Uchiha. It didn’t take long for them to figure out who you were.”

On the screen, one of the magazine covers Uchiha had posed for was on the screen as the news anchor talked about it. The TV was muted, but there was no confusion as to what was being said as the footage from his fight was played right after. The cameraman Uchiha saved was good at his job, managing several clear shots of his face during the fight.

“The only good thing is that you were recorded dead, but if someone sees you, you’ll be reported to the police.” Tsunade finally turned to Uchiha, a cold look in her eyes. “There’s one other thing you should know, assuming you don’t know already.”

“And pray tell, what might that be?” Uchiha wore his own disdain on his sleeve, returning the hostility in kind.

“We have one of the council members in our custody a while back to question about Orochimaru’s movements. When we went to give him back, we found out something interesting.”

Uchiha raised an eyebrow condescendingly. “Should I do you the favor of guessing, or will you divulge the information?”

“We found the entire council dead. Slaughtered in the inner chamber. Minus Sasori of course.”

Gaara, who had been listening in idly had been inwardly shocked by the news. Uchiha’s face betrayed nothing as he replied. “That is… unfortunate.”

“I thought you were close to them. You’re telling me you did not know?”

“I was close to them, yes. However, immortals are content with visiting each other once every couple of decades. After all, time moves differently for us than for humans.” His voice was still steady. The only change Gaara could pick up was his remarks did not seem at the ready as it was earlier.

“Then let me ask you this. Who is strong enough to kill that many powerful vampires in one place.”

Uchiha’s eyes turned sharper, whether it was the poison wearing off or through his anger, he replied like an adult losing patience with an ill-tempered child, barely containing his urge to lash out. “The council is not comprised of the most powerful of vampires, but of the most influential and knowledgeable. They are by no means weak. They would be among some of the strongest; however, the oldest, the truly powerful ones, do not engage in politics. They prefer to watch everything from the shadows and mind their own business. It is possible, one of them could kill them if he or she so chose. I cannot say for certain. Very few have ever made contact with them.”

“For now, Sasori has taken control of the council. As much as it pains me to say this, we need them.”

Indeed. As much as hunters hated the vampire council, they were the ones that controlled the vampire population and enforced the rules about exposure, breeding, and feeding habits. It kept the vampires hidden from society and prevented serious conflicts with the hunters in the area.

The clans of the council members will become enraged once they hear the news, and would no doubt blame the hunters for their demise. The treaty had always been shaky, and with those who enforced it gone, there was nothing stopping them from causing another war.

“Where is Uzumaki-san?” Uchiha asked.

Tsunade sneered, turning her back to him. She could no longer look at him without wanting to attack him. “In custody. We’re working on his release; however, they are being stubborn. It’s taking a few more calls than we would have hoped.”

“I have a few calls to make of my own. If you will excuse me.” Uchiha had been rude the entire conversation, so it was unexpected to see him bowing his head to Tsunade in his departure. Maybe it was hardwired into his person from a past life. There were times when Uchiha was modern, when he was out of place, when he was overly pleasant, when he was cold as ice. Uchiha held many masks. Which once was real?

The only thing genuine was his protection of Uzumaki. Gaara could not figure out why. He had resources too and his history was full of blood, manipulation, and death. What was it about Uzumaki that he took an interest in? He was still unaware of Uzumaki’s past, wasn’t he?

“You should sleep, Gaara-kun. Your body still needs to heal.”

Now, that she mentioned it, sleep was pulling at him persistently. “You promised you’d always protect Uzumaki,” he whispered. “Do you still plan to?”

Tsunade busied herself with straightening the medical instruments. Her answer.

He closed his eyes. Perhaps, he should leave Uzumaki in Uchiha’s hands after all.

* * *

Naruto sat in the interrogation room, staring out into the distance. They must have asked him a hundred questions. Maybe two, but he didn’t say anything. The whole procedure was weird. Yamato had been kind enough to order him katsudon to eat.

Naruto didn’t touch it. Sure, he was hungry, but he was tired of the same bland flavor. He had lost a little weight as a result, but not as much as he would have if Uchiha hadn’t eaten with him.

Besides, what could he say? Sure, he could tell the truth, but they’d either think he was lying or crazy. Even if he did tell them what he did know, it still wouldn’t help much with the investigation. He knew nothing about the woman Uchiha fought.

Yamato was extremely patient the past 5 or 6 hours. Never once trying to force him. The few time the officer left, Naruto could hear faint yelling behind the one-way mirror of another man, most likely a superior, and when he returned, he continued to follow at his own pace. Surely, this couldn’t go on forever.

“Uzumaki-san, our time together will be over soon,” Officer Yamato said, leaning back in his chair, closing the manilla envelope in front of him. “After me, there will be some people who will take you to a maximum-security location. They are worried you are a serious threat.”

Naruto’s lips twitched into a smirk as a reflex. Hadn’t people been treating him like that his whole life? Like a serious threat?

“Do you remember our deal? That you would cooperate?”

For Uchiha’s sake. Had enough time passed where he could get away?

“I am cooperating.” It was the first words Naruto had uttered since walking into the station.

“Staying silent is not cooperating, Uzumaki-san. We need your help understanding what happened today.”

“And I’m doing you a favor,” Naruto said. He was leaned back in his seat with his arms cross, almost the entire interrogation. It was a posture that usually screamed that Naruto could care less for what the other had to say. He had hoped it would have deterred Yamato or at the very least make him lose his cool. “I’m staying silent. If I talk, you wouldn’t believe me anyway.”

“Are you okay with your name and friend’s name being slandered? How can I help you if you won’t talk?”

A bitter chuckle left Naruto, dry and humorless. “Help? Since when do you people want to help?” Naruto leaned forward. “Tell me, when you first looked at me, you thought I was another no-good delinquent, didn’t you?”

Yamato leaned forward as well, clearly not impressed. “Or you remind me of myself.”

That took Naruto by surprise.

Stoking his chin absentmindedly, Yamato continued. “I know what it’s like to be labeled. I was raised by a single mother. I was often teased by it, and people called my mother a whore because I didn’t know who my father was. I worked part-time jobs to help my mother, so my grades were always low, and my teachers never expected anything from me. Sounds familiar?”

Naruto broke eye contact first, focusing on the small empty corner of the room.

“Don’t follow what society wants you to be or what they make you out to be. I’m living proof of that. I’m asking you, Uzumaki-san. Please cooperate with me. Tell me what you know.”

Naruto stared at that corner for a long time. One would think it held all the answers. Finally, he said, “Do you believe in vampires?”

“What?” The response was instinctual, caught off guard by the comment. Of course, he would be. Why had he said anything at all?

“That’s all you’re getting out of me.”

A knock on the glass. The frown on Yamato’s lips lessened, and Naruto was left to guess what he was thinking. “I’ll be back. Please eat while I’m gone.”

* * *

Yamato left the room feeling frustrated. The kid was unexpectedly tight-lipped. Given the situation, he thought the kid would sing within the hour. When he had approached the kid on the battlefield, he looked just like that, a kid. He was terrified, puffing out his chest and talking tough because that’s all he could do. Why did he get stuck with the difficult jobs?

Outside the interrogation room was his partner, a woman by the name of Mitarashi, Anko. Like him, she was a bit of an outcast. She favored short skirts and low-cut shirts that showed off her cleavage. It prevented her from ever getting a promotion despite an excellent track record. She was one of the best detectives and excelled in finding information about the underworld. No matter how many complaints and threats she received from their superiors, she continued to dress that way.

“Troublesome kid isn’t he,” she drawled. Mitarashi was sitting on the desk, legs crossed, flipping through the folder in her lap. “Pushing him as a terrorist will be a cinch if he doesn’t speak up.”

“Is that what the higher-ups are up to.” Dropping his own folder on the table, he looked through the window at Naruto who was sitting with his head in his hands.

“They have no one else to really blame and the country is in a panic. Guilty or not, he’s the perfect candidate.”

“Right.” Tearing his eyes away from the image of his younger self, he straightened his back and addressed his partner with all seriousness. “Did you dig up anything?”

“Barely. Turns out he’s Namikaze Minato’s kid.” At Yamato’s confused face, she rolled her eyes. “The guy who was suspected to be a serial killer almost 12 years ago, but disappeared before police could take him in. It’s still talked about in the department.”

“I vaguely remember that case,” Yamato muttered. He could remember it being everywhere on the news and the angry officials who missed him by a hair. He had been on the run for years. “I had just started the force back then.”

“Right. Turns out he had a kid. Not only is the kid not on the family registry, he’s not even officially listed in the system at all. I was beginning to doubt he was really a citizen.” She waved the folder for him to grab. “I just guessed on a hunch to check Namikaze Minato’s hometown thinking maybe they were related. Have no idea who the mother is though.”

“I see,” taking the folder, he thumbed through the papers she had managed to put together. It also included a short medical report. The teen had been checked over briefly to ensure he hadn’t sustained any injuries from the battlefield. His clothes had been covered in blood though it was quickly discovered to belong to Uzumaki’s friend.

His medical report may have been short, but it was odd. His heart rate was slow. Slower than a normal resting heart rate. It wasn’t normal.

“Also, the ambulance that was transporting the main suspect of the case, the one you thought was dead, the ambulance never made it to the hospital, so the body is missing.”

Yamato didn’t react immediately. The relaxed tone of his partner did not translate the importance of what she was telling him. When it finally clicked, he turned on her with wide disbelieving eyes. “What?! Why haven’t I been informed?”

“Because it looks like it’s being covered up. The higher-ups are telling everyone to just drop it and focus on finding out details about the woman who attacked.”

“The hell is going on,” he muttered under his breath.

_Do you believe vampires are real?_

Uzumaki’s lingering words repeated in his head. The teen had the look of someone deadly serious when he had asked the question. He hadn’t been playing around, but Yamato had no intention of taking it literally, rather he thought of it as a hint. A clue of some sort.

Thinking back on it, Uzumaki had not acted like his friend had died. Upon hearing that the main suspect, Uchiha, Sasuke was dead, Uzumaki had not acted surprised or stunned. Grief was a powerful thing, and Uzumaki being in denial about a death close to him was a normal reaction, but he showed no other signs. No stubbornness or insistence that he was alive. He quietly accepted and told them to tie the corpse down just in case.

“He wasn’t dead… Uchiha, Sasuke isn’t dead.”

“Well, you take the fun out of everything. I wanted to suggest the idea first.” With a small pout, she jutted her bottom lip.

“That aside, what about the other evidence on the scene?”

“Bodies are still being collected. Officially, our people are handling where the attack in Beppu began, but off the record, it’s a secondary group. The moment I started to ask around, the higher-ups told me to focus on our suspect.”

So his superiors were covering up things and trying to pin it on a boy with an almost nonexistent background. He’d be a perfect scapegoat since he was caught on the scene. No one would question it, and it would nicely tie up the case once they made up a motive and goal.

Being subjugated to such thinking when he was a child, Yamato wasn’t inclined to encourage it.

“Understood. Keep gathering as much information as you can. I’ll try to buy more ti─”

The door to the viewing room opened, interrupting Yamato mid-sentence and drawing Mitarashi and Yamato’s attention.

* * *

Naruto was left alone with his thoughts. The struggle to not bounce his leg or show any of his building anxiety was gradually becoming more and more difficult. Hope that maybe he would be stuck here, alone, was sinking in. Why had he even stood up for Uchiha? If he hadn’t shown up, Uchiha would just have been declared dead. He wouldn’t be in this mess. He just made the situation worse.

Did Uchiha get the blood he needed? Did the ambulance workers make it through?

These thoughts did nothing to help calm him. His hands clenched, turning his hands white.

Maybe he should have just stayed put in the mansion.

He sighed, releasing all his pent-up frustration and anguish. He had to think positive. There was a slight chance they would let him go. He was still a minor. That fact was on his side. Maybe some time in a juvenile correction facility until he was 20. Things could still work out.

When the door to the room opened, he lifted his head high, intending to make a show of his new-found strength, that he wouldn’t break so easily. His courage dwindled into shock, then disbelief, and finally fear.

It was Officer Usokawa who had entered, but he recognized those eyes. How had he not put two and two together before. The face was the same. It should have been obvious, and yet when he thought back to their previous meeting, he could not remember much other than his murderous intent towards the officer.

“Hello, Uzumaki-san. I did not expect for us to meet again so soon.”

Usokawa’s polite and gentle smile that had once put Naruto at ease, had him sitting on the edge of his chair ready to run, but the eyes seemed to draw him in and that feeling, compelling Naruto to obey, crept up on him from behind.

Naruto quickly looked away, turning his gaze to the floor. It felt like submission. It was a grimy and dirty feeling he wanted to scrub away. “Itachi,” he growled.

“It is an honor that you remembered me,” Itachi bowed his head as if this was a normal conversation. “But please forgive me for I must cut the greeting short. If you would, please follow me.”

Naruto snorted, folding his arms in front of his chest. “I’m not going anywhere with you. I’m staying right here.”

Itachi didn’t miss a beat, not put off at all by Naruto’s rebellion. “Do you know of what ghouls eat, Uzumaki-san?” At Naruto’s silence, Itachi continued. “They are a type of apparition that feasts on the flesh of the dead. My associate, the one with the sword that I am sure you remember, is such a creature, and he hasn’t eaten in quite some time, and he is quite perturbed that you had cracked his weapon. I’m sure that the detective and his colleague on the other side of that glass would rather stay alive then become his dinner.”

Naruto sneered. “Do you always have to threaten me?”

“It is not my pleasure to do so. If you would cooperate the first time, it would be unneeded.” Itachi held open the door. “Of course, if you prefer, I can also drag you out by force.”

It was alarming how easily Naruto could imagine Itachi following through with his threat. Uchiha dragged him around all the time, and Naruto had always been powerless to prevent him from doing so. Itachi would most likely not be as gentle and kind.

Naruto stood with his chin up, intending to convey that he still had his pride and dignity. Itachi knew the truth however because Naruto was not blind to his situation. Itachi had Naruto under his thumb.

Officer Yamato and a woman Naruto had never seen before were staring off into space in the next room. They were seated at a table, conversing with each other pleasantly about the current case. The urge to call out to them was strong. His heart was beating wildly in his chest, thumping against his sternum in an erratic movement.

Kisame however was sitting on the table between them, waiting. A blindfold in his hand. Hope sunk in his chest, knowing that whatever he did, scream, fight, cry, none of it would be heard. Whatever they did, Naruto would be at their mercy, and his legs shook at the thought of what might happen to him.

Kisame slid off the table with a devilish grin, circling him like a shark before putting the blindfold on him. Naruto was sure he could smell his fear.

He was led by both of them through the station. It was oddly quiet, and they had taken him a different way than where he had entered. Soon enough he could smell fresh air, and the sounds of traffic in the distance. They guided him into a car, helping him into the back seat, making sure he didn’t hit his head. A second later, he felt Itachi sit beside him then someone else entered the driver’s seat, presumably Kisae.

The drive was long, and Naruto had no idea how much time had passed. There were lots of turns. For all Naruto knew they could have been driving in a circle, throwing off his sense of direction or they could be many towns over. The loss of direction further unbalanced Naruto. His strong façade falling slowly as his chances of being saved dwindled. Every jar of the car made him unnatural stiff, and the silence almost made him think he was going crazy. He didn’t like the dark, and slowly his breathing grew short of hyperventilating. His panic attack was barely kept at bay by his stubbornness of not letting Itachi see him so weak.

When the car turned off, it was a mixture of happiness and anxiety. He was picked up into slender and feminine arms, and they were off to who knew where. There was no sound and Naruto had thought he had gone deaf.

He was literally dropped onto a sofa and his blindfold removed so quickly it left him disoriented from the pitch black to light.

Itachi had discarded his disguise, sitting across from him in an armchair, dropping the pleasant demeanor as well. He was drinking, what smelled to Naruto, black tea from an ornate cup with his legs crossed. He had changed clothes as well, wearing a late 1800’s European gentleman suit. Even with Asian features, he looked every image of a European of that time. It was a startling contrast to his very Japanese mannerisms that he had shown until now.

“We have much to discuss, Uzumaki-san, but as we now have time, it would be rude of me to not act as a proper host. For now, all that I ask is that you do not leave this basement or subbasement. Everything that you will require, nourishment, sleeping quarters, and lavatory will be on this floor. The subbasement will be left for a later discussion. Until then, please take advantage of my hospitality.”

Just as Naruto opened his mouth to speak, the woman had come up behind him, stabbing him with a syringe, emptying its contents. “The hell?!”

“Pipe down, brat,” the Kisame glared with a sneer on his lips. He’d be terrifying if Naruto had never met Itachi. “I hate kids, and I hate teenagers more. Glad I never was one.”

“Riiigght,” he drawled, wondering if he might have a screw loose or two.

Picking him up off the ground by his shirt collar, he carried him like a puppy by the scruff, ignoring the sounds of his shirt stretching from his weight.

“Put me down!” he yelled. “I will not be manhandled like this.”

He didn’t budge to his command, dropping him off in a chair to a kitchen table. As Naruto tried to regain his bearings, the man shoved a large bowl of what looked to be freshly cooked ramen in front of him. “So annoying. Eat it already.”

The aroma stirred his stomach, growling loudly, but his appetite to eat was still missing. In the corner of his eye, he could see the man staring at him with hawk-like eyes, waiting for him to eat. It could be drugged, but they would have killed him already if they wanted him dead, and then there was the injection they gave him earlier too.

“Itadakimasu,” he whispered, preparing himself in case it was the last time he ever uttered that phrase. He picked up his chopsticks, picking up a healthy helping of noodles with a slice of pork, and ate it.

The subtle flavor of pork miso ramen assaulted his taste buds. The tender meat, the perfectly cooked noodles, the broth. He could taste it. Tears prickled the corner of his eyes as his appetite hit him full force. He picked up the bowl, shoveling food into his mouth as much as he could, disregarding any caution his mind warned him against.

Within minutes, the bowl of food was finished, and Naruto was left regretting that he had eaten it so quickly. How was it possible that he could taste again? It had already been over 2 weeks since his last meal that he ate willingly. Was taste going to fade away again? Would his love for food turn into disgust and misery?

The man took the bowl from him, placing it in the sink before wandering off. He was left alone. It gave Naruto time to observe his surroundings.

The furniture matched the master that owned it. Very old fashioned and Victorian. It didn’t really match Naruto’s sense of aesthetics. It also wasn’t what Naruto was interested in. Since having his blindfold removed, he hadn’t seen a window or door that could possibly lead to the outside.

Two rooms however didn’t qualify as searching. Moving slowly, so that nothing would take him by surprise, he ventured out to check the rest of the house. It was a very closed-off floor plan. A hallway that lead to different parts of the house, each room having four walls and a door or two, and for a basement, it was extremely large. He had found three bedrooms, a bathroom in addition to the kitchen as well as stairs leading farther down. Going farther down wouldn’t help, so he left the subbasement for later and headed back to the study where he arrived.

The man wasn’t anywhere to be found, but Itachi was still in the study, looking over the ceiling to floor bookshelf covering the wall. Itachi carried a candle in one hand while his other hand caressed the spine of the books before pulling one off the shelf.

From behind, and even from the side, he looked remarkably similar to Uchiha.

Uchiha….

“I may look like him, Uzumaki-san.” Itachi turned enough so that Naruto could see his face clearly, destroying any similarity they may have had. “But please remember that we are not the same.”

“I don’t know what the hell you’re talking about,” Naruto remembered to keep his eyes down. “There’s no way I would confuse you two. Your level of fucked up way surpasses his.”

“If you were not staring at me with longing that could not possibly be for me, I might be inclined to believe you.”

Irritated, Naruto chanced looking up and meeting his eyes. “What do you want from me?”

Itachi cracked open his book, scanning the contents quickly. “What do I want indeed,” he murmured. Closing the book with a snap, he met Naruto’s eyes. “My brother has chosen an interesting toy this time. I do hope I do not break you before you see him again.”

A chill ran up Naruto’s spine.

“For now, please rest.” You will need it.”


	18. Chapter 18

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The second half may be a little clunky. Originally, this was written before Free was, so the scenes between Tsunade and Sasuke talking and Sasuke leaving the hospital was on the same day, but then I wrote Free and I made Gaara's attachment and protection of Naruto stronger and realized it would take some time for Gaara to calm down after finding out Naruto was missing, so I gave Gaara that calm down period, thus the need to put time between the two scenes.

The next morning, Naruto had to say, he was not expecting to see what he saw. Itachi, a vampire he had feared ever since Naruto laid his eyes upon him, was wearing a light blue Sanrio character apron over his suit, listening to classical music, and making a large western-style breakfast. Naruto supposed he should be happy the apron wasn’t pink and frilly, but the sight was still unsettling.

“Please seat yourself, Uzumaki-san. Breakfast will be finished shortly.”

How could Itachi say that like it was normal? Granted his voice still lacked any emotion, but the lines were delivered as if they were a family, and that it was perfectly normal for a kidnapper to be cooking a large lavish meal for his captive. Was this guy mentally sound?

Naruto clumsily fell into his seat, too shocked to even make a comment. Maybe the apron was all that was lying around, but he wouldn’t be caught dead wearing Hello Kitty.

Then again, perhaps he was being biased. The first time Jiraiya had gone on a business trip, leaving Naruto alone, he was 10. The trip was only two days, but Naruto wanted to prove he could be left alone without Jiraiya worrying, so he took it upon himself to do the chores. The only problem was he couldn’t find a cleaning apron. Frustrated, he took some of the money Jiraiya had left him to go food shopping and to pick up an apron.

The store only had one apron left due to a late shipment. It was pink and frilly with an anime magic girl on the front. The anime had been popular back then though Naruto didn’t think anyone would remember it now. At the time of purchase, Naruto was just happy to have one.

He took it home, put it on, and got to work, thoroughly cleaning his house, vacuuming, washing the windows, cleaning the bathroom, sorting the garbage, pre-prepping dinner and a bento for tomorrow, and doing the laundry. It was when he went to hang up the laundry outside that got him in trouble.

Using a step stool, he clipped the fresh laundry onto the clothing line, careful to make sure nothing wrinkled. It was a sunny day and the breeze was great. Naruto remembered how calm everything was at that moment. Sure, he was lonely, and he hadn’t met Kiba yet, but Jiraiya and Naruto had finally worked out a living situation, both opening up to each other little by little. It only took 4 years, but they were getting there.

They were locals, of course, high schoolers, who walked by. Maybe there had been an assembly that day or there were doing club activities, but they had been in uniform on a Sunday. Spotting Naruto, they stopped at his gate and began throwing snide remarks in stage whispers.

“Hey, look over there. Look what he’s wearing.”

“Does he actually like those types of things?”

“Pff, he’s some sort of weirdo. I can’t believe he walked outside in that thing.”

“Maybe he’s a homo or a tranny or something.”

“So he’s a pervert. Always the quiet ones.”

Naruto’s ears turned red in embarrassment, and his eyes teared as the urge to bury his face in the blanket he had just proudly hung up moments before swayed in the wind. That was the turning point in Naruto’s life. Tired of being talked about, tired of being villainized, he couldn’t take it anymore. He fought back.

Ripping off the apron, he marched up to those three boys. Shouting insults, calling them pedophiles for staring at him for so long, not knowing when to keep his mouth shut. They beat him up, badly.

They left him on the ground, laughing as they went on about their business.

Naruto, bleeding, hurting, and all alone, sat up. He didn’t cry. He had only cried once since coming back with Jiraiya. That day had almost been his second, but crying didn’t help anyone, let alone himself. This was nothing to cry over. He picked himself off the ground, brushed himself off, and got angry instead. He tossed the apron away from him with a loud yell and marched back into the house.

He finished the chores and sat alone at the dining room table.

In his head, Naruto marked that day as the day he truly lost the last of his innocence. He no longer stayed quiet, standing up for himself and getting into fights constantly. Those boys still lived there. Grown-up, they were better at concealing their hate for him, but his reputation kept them from confronting him now.

“I don’t know why you make such a lavish breakfast every morning. It’s not like you’ve eaten since the 19th century.” The man, who Naruto learned was named Kisame after he had shown him his room the night before, sat in the corner of the kitchen where Naruto had not noticed him immediately.

He was wearing a dark cloak while cleaning his nails with a kitchen knife. He had paused to shoot a look of disgust at Itachi when he merely raised an eyebrow at him.

Itachi piled a mountain of food on a plate and placed it in front of Naruto. “I’m sure he is hungry. No need to starve him.” As he said those words, Itachi stared at Naruto until Naruto felt thoroughly uncomfortable.

“You are a real creep,” he muttered standing. “And take off that damn apron already. I’m sure you’d make even Satan uncomfortable at how wrong that is.”

Itachi ignored him but did take off the apron, hanging it on a hook on the back of the door. “Bring Uzumaki-san to the study when he has finished. You know what to do after that.”

“Yeah, yeah. I got it.” Kisame rolled his eyes

Itachi left the room, his shoes tapping against the wooden floors, fading as he grew further and further away.

Naruto stared at the mountain of pancakes. Would he be able to taste them like the food last night?

He picked up his fork and cut into the stack slowly to buy himself time and mentally prepare himself for disappointment. When he put the pancake into his mouth, he was pleased to find that he could still taste it and delighted at how sweet and buttery it was. He had to admit, Itachi appeared to be a good cook, though he never had so much meat on his plate before. It was a little greasy for his liking, but he still ate it happily.

Halfway through his stack, he heard music drifting from the hall. The sound of a Japanese Koto being expertly played. To be honest, Naruto always avoided the sound of the Koto when he could. It always gave him a headache. Not figuratively as many people believed, but literally. His head would begin to pound, starting from his temples until it grew into a migraine.

This time was no different. Pressure began to build at his temples. Instead of pounding, however, it just made him lose focus. His eyes were clouded with an image, an illusion or maybe a memory. A woman with beautiful red hair, dressed in an equally beautiful kimono, plucking at the strings of the instrument with a serene smile. Naruto couldn’t see her face. It was blurred, but her smile was familiar and safe. She was seated on tatami mats, and the sliding doors open to a courtyard with a giant tree planted in the center. Soft translucent lights, the shape of humans but the size of dolls lingered in the trees' branches, swaying in the wind as the music played. 

He was seated on her lap, his hands reaching for the instrument as she played around him. She laughed a soft melodic sound that made him smile until he was pulled away.

“Hey kid, you have a seizure or something?”

Kisame had shaken his shoulder hard, causing Naruto to dump an excess of syrup onto his pancakes and plate, not knowing when he had picked up the jug to do so.

The music had stopped, having changed back into Western classical music.

Food ruined; Naruto pushed his plate away. He wasn’t that into sweet things. Food drowning in syrup was a bit more than he could handle.

Kisame tossed the plate into the sink. Literally tossed. The plate broke on impact, but the man couldn’t care less. “You know where the study is. Go straight there. I got better things to do than babysit some kid.”

“I thought you were supposed to bring me,” he remarked.

He twirled the knife in his hand. “Keep pissing me off brat, you’ll regret it soon enough.” He said it with an ecstatic grin, clearly knowing something he did not. Any appetite he still had was quickly forgotten with that grin.

Quickly, Naruto left the kitchen and traveled the few doors down to the study. He pushed the door open just a crack, seeing if Itachi was already there. While the music played on a phonograph in a corner, Itachi was nowhere to be found. A perfect chance to snoop if he did say so himself.

Closing the door behind him, Naruto got to work, inspecting the bookshelf first. In almost every movie, the secret passage was always behind a bookshelf. Unless there was a trap door somewhere, Naruto hadn’t seen an entrance into this basement during his snooping the day before, meaning it had to be hidden. As clichéd as it was, the bookshelf was a good start in his opinion, but also the most distracting. He had seen several books that caught his eye. Antique books that he had read recently that inspired his current interest in classical literature and these books were the first editions.

He didn’t get very far in his search. By the second bookcase, the door creaked open. Prepared, Naruto grabbed one of the books he was interested in and plopped himself down on one of the sofa’s available.

It wasn’t Itachi as he thought, but instead a young child, carrying a silver tray with tea. He used his back to push open the door, so he could slip into the room, pausing once his eyes laid on Naruto. His small nose scrunched up in distaste. His young appearance wasn’t what drew Naruto’s eye. When the child had first entered, Naruto swore there were cat ears on the child’s head.

The child got to work, placing the tray on the coffee table and poured the tea into two green, Japanese style teacups. He then distributed the cups, one in front of Naruto and the other to the seat across from him.

The child worked without sparing a glance at Naruto and without a word. Naruto, admittedly, had a soft spot for young kids. They could be jerks, but at random times really sweet. He could not help but wonder why he was there and if he too was a captive of Itachi.

“You’re really good at pouring tea,” Naruto commented. “Did you make it by yourself too?” Naruto’s intentions were good. He meant it as a compliment. As a kid, Naruto loved every bit of praise he could get.

The child, however, glared at him, and Naruto noted he had two different eye colors. “I don’t talk to kids, let alone humans.” The child turned his head in a childish huff, picking up the tray.

Naruto was bewildered, not only by the hostile treatment but his words too. “Look whose one to talk. I’m almost twice your age.”

“Are not. I’ll have you know that I’m turnin’ 54 this year. I’m way older than you, you stinkin’ human.”

The age didn’t sink in until Naruto’s original urge to give the kid a small bop to the head calmed down. Wait, did he say 54?

“Kira, manners to our guest.” Naruto had not heard or seen Itachi enter the room, and Naruto had been facing the door the entire time. Appearing from behind, Itachi walked past him taking the seat across from Naruto.

The child named Kira quickly stood and bowed. “My apologies, Uchiha-sama,” he replied earnestly.

Itachi leaned forward picking up the cup Kira had placed moments before. “Kira is very gifted in making tea. I encourage you to try some.”

At this point, it was becoming clear that Itachi liked feeding him. Almost every meeting had involved food somehow, but it did give Naruto somewhere to focus his eyes on since he could not look him in the eye. He picked up the cup but did not drink.

Itachi drank from the cup, perfectly composed as usual. Kira had moved to stand behind him, waiting on Itachi like a servant. It was disturbing to Naruto to see a child like that despite his supposed age. Kids should be out playing, not waiting on psychopaths.

“For the foreseeable future,” Itachi began, “you will be training with Kisame. While my brother has done an adequate job, it will not keep you alive against any real opponent you may face.”

“Is that so? And why do you care if I’m alive or not?”

“Because,” Itachi said, placing his cup down and folding his hands in his lap. “You are and will be useful to me. If you die, it becomes an inconvenience I rather not incur.”

A depreciating laugh left Naruto, dropping the cup purposely to stain the carpet beneath him. “Useful? A piece of trash like me? What use could I possibly have to an asshole like you.”

“You and I both know what you show in front of people is nothing more than a pretense.” Itachi didn’t react to the drop cup or rise to Naruto’s rude behavior. Instead, it was Naruto who ended up freezing at Itachi’s words. “You pretend that the words of others do not bother you, and you brush off every nasty comment thrown at your integrity and honor. Deep down, however, every word, every cruel thing ever done to you makes your soul bleed and each passing day, you question your own self-worth and purpose of living.”

“Shut up,” Naruto whispered, his frame shaking with barely controlled emotion.

“Rejection and anger is basically the only thing you know. Even the people closest to you lie. You know that, but you never question them, not wanting to confirm the truth that you already know.”

“Shut up! SHUT UP!” Naruto screamed, standing. “Don’t pretend you know me! You know nothing about me!”

“On the contrary. I have been watching you for quite some time.”

Naruto felt his anger about to boil over. The part of him that he hid even from himself. Burying his misery under fake smiles and laughter, just so that he wasn’t completely alone. He was terrified of being alone, of being a burden, but he was always angry because he did know there was distance between him and his loved ones. Distance both he and the ones he cared about created intentionally. Perhaps that’s why he had grown to respect Uchiha Sasuke so much and grown to worry about him though the vampire didn’t need it.

“Now is not the time to discuss what I do and do not know about you, Uzumaki-san. You are currently at the halfway point. Half human. Half vampire. You have the ability to use both to your advantage. The non-reliance on blood and versatility in chakra technique of a human, but the regenerative powers and enhanced strength and speed of a vampire. This rarity is of use to me, and I need you to be able to access both consciously.”

That’s right. Naruto had not gone through the final change yet. It had slipped his mind that he was supposed to be, and yet Itachi was talking like it would never happen. “Why do you say it like it will stay that way? I’m supposed to finish the change soon.”

“Are you?” he asked in a way that clearly stated Naruto was never going to complete it. “For now, humor me and join Kisame in the training room.”

“If you think I will be joining your side, you’re stupider than you look.” Defiance was all Naruto had at this point, but it sounded weak. He felt like he was slowly being backed into a corner. Itachi did not give a single inch or show a weakness of any kind. He was smart, calm, and always in control. How could Naruto handle someone like this on his own?

“And what side would that be, Uzumaki-san? Do you even realize what you are facing?”

Facing? What did that mean? He was minding his own business until this jerk came along. “Do you mean hunters vs. vampires?”

Itachi stood. “Your naivety will get you killed, but for now, I suppose it is better for you to learn on your own. My place is not to inform you of the world, but to train you. Proceed to the basement. Kisame will be waiting to begin your training.”

“And if I refuse?”

“Then, Uzumaki-san, you will have no use to me, and your hope to be rescued or find an escape will be quickly cut short.” Itachi placed out a hand which Kira quickly reacted, handing him a newspaper. “You may leave.”

“You may leave,” Naruto mocked under his breath, pausing slightly to see if Itachi would take offense. The vampire’s only reaction was a glance up from the paper before continuing his activity.

He feared Itachi, but the vampire was also correct. If he didn’t keep himself alive, he couldn’t increase his chance of survival. There was little he could do other than go along with him for now.

Recalling where he found the stairs the previous day, Naruto followed his orders and descended into the subbasement holding trepidation of what may become of him.

* * *

“What do you mean my brother has kidnapped him?” The air around Sasuke, fluttered, ruffling his air and clothing before settling. Since his awakening, he was having trouble controlling his abilities. Anytime his emotions ran away from him, it would activate, leaving him exhausted. He had not recovered from using it so extensively during his fight, and the bursts prevented his full recovery of chakra. He did not remember it being so hard to control before.

“Yes, we managed to hack into the cameras in the police station, and we are fairly certain it was him,” Sakura informed him. She was still dressed in her nurse’s uniform, but she school bag and clothes in a chair beside her. “We saw them pull out of the station and head west a few blocks, but the CCTVs were wiped or altered after that. They went completely off the map.”

“Couldn’t you follow the CCTVs that were wiped?” He asked impatiently.

“We tried, but all the CCTVS were wiped at different intervals, randomly within the next three towns and there are many rural areas as well that don’t have them. It will take a while to find a pattern or trace where the interference came from.”

Sasuke restrained another wave of chakra flowing through his body ready to lash out at the girl. While he wasn’t fond of her, Uzumaki had feelings for her. His eyes instead shifted to her superior and mentor, Tsunade, sitting quietly at her desk deep in thought. “What else are you not telling me, Tsunade.”

The woman’s eyes snapped up, meeting his stare with a dark one of her own. Perhaps she was intimidating to other humans, but she was young enough to be his great-granddaughter. Leader of the hunters or not, her attitude was not something he was going to put up with when Uzumaki was currently in the hands of his brother.

“Nothing a blood-sucker like you need to know about. Naruto will be found. He has a habit of surviving every situation he gets himself into.”

“I doubt he’s met a ‘situation’ like my brother,” he retorted. His brother was cruel and liked to play mental games. Uzumaki wouldn’t be able to outmaneuver his brother, and he’ll end up obeying his brother’s desires knowingly or not.

“No, but he’s met worse.” Tsunade’s eyes glazed over, recalling something unpleasant.

“What do you mean worse?”

Tsunade remained silent for several long seconds until she addressed her subordinate sternly. “Sakura-kun, would you please escort Uchiha out please.”

Sakura bowed to Tsunade, “Yes, Sensei.” She grabbed her bag and motioned for Sasuke to follow her.

Sasuke followed. Not because he wanted to be civil or because he wanted to get along with the hunters, but because his urge to kill her was strong.

He hated hunters. Hated how they believed they were right and just. It did not fly by him that she had admittedly detained a member of the council like it was not a breach of a treaty, and he could be certain they did not treat that council member as a guest. Deidara had no idea what had happened to Sasori and had been worried. He was not so sure that it wasn’t the hunters who had killed his mentors in the council. What else would humans take away from him?

Sasuke spent the rest of the night, meditating, trying to reign in his chakra and regain control of it. With the news Naruto was missing, he was finding it hard to sit still. His mind kept drifting back to the fact that he was worried at all. In the past, he would have just left Naruto to his fate. Why was this unsettling him?

Sakura came to escort him out of the hospital early the next morning. Something he was more than happy to do. If he stayed with the hunters any longer, he wasn’t sure if he could keep to the treaty.

“I should thank you for stopping Yukina-hime. It means a lot to us.” She said she was thanking him, but there was enough prejudice in her voice to see it was out of duty and not sincere.

“I do not want nor need your thanks. I did it out of respect for a woman my family had held in high regard.” His biting words made Sakura’s lips thin. “How did a tramp like you become a shinobi?”

This time she didn’t hide her disdain for him. “That is a rumor I purposely spread. Sometimes spreading rumors about yourself is the best way to achieve a goal. Not that it matters to you.” She crossed her arms. “You should be grateful to Sensei for even extending a helping hand to you. I think ending you would have been a wiser option.”

“How kind of you,” he replied sarcastically. “It’s nice to see that the shinobi have corrupted their youth with the humans first and only movement. It is as strong as ever”

“They didn’t teach me anything. Vampires killed and turned my parents into ghouls when I was 9.” There was a glint of metal in her hand. “I learned on my own that evil like you should be eradicated.”

“And where does this vengeful ambition place in your interest in Uzumaki as your boyfriend?” He was curious about her motives. Sure, she had acted as a proper girlfriend, but there was always something off about her interactions with him up to and even after she had dumped him.

“To keep an eye on him and protect him, something he no longer needed since you have taken him in.”

A smile curled on his lips. “Oh, so playing around with a young boy’s heart under false pretenses fall under your self-righteousness?” He leaned forward. “Do you know what hypocrite means?”

“Back away!” She swung her knife towards him that Sasuke easily dodged.

“Tell me, little girl,” he grabbed her wrist and pulled her close. “How exactly do you plan to eradicate me if you can’t even protect yourself.”

“Uchiha,” the soft, yet sharp use of his name, grabbed Sasuke’s attention. Gaara stood near the exit of the hospital, hands in his pockets. “I would have thought teasing children was beneath you.”

A beat then a soft chuckle later, Sasuke released Sakura’s wrist. “Sorry. I found it hard to resist.” He walked over to Gaara. “I believe we have something to talk about.”

Gaara nodded. They walked outside the hospital, sitting on a nearby bench. Sasuke put up the hood of his sweatshirt when they walked out, keeping his head down so that no one could get a good look at his face, a hassle but one he was used to.

As they sat, Sakura left the hospital as well, meeting a boy in front of it. Sai if Sasuke’s memory served. He took her bag, and they left holding hands. “Was she dating him while with Uzumaki?”

Gaara nodded. “She spread the rumor, and he teased Uzumaki about being a virgin.”

“And you left that alone?”

“Overall, there were good intentions behind it, but not anymore.”

Sakura and Sai entered a car driving off together. Really, how much of Uzumaki’s life was controlled? Everyone around him seemed involved with hunters. From his guardians, to even his girlfriend, and Uzumaki had no idea. All that control and keeping Uzumaki in the dark, only for Sasuke to disrupt that. He felt no regret for uprooting their plans.

“When we were children, Uzumaki and I were held in a medical facility against our will. In my case, my father put me there. In Uzumaki’s case, he was kidnapped and taken there.” Gaara stared at his hands. “There is something inside us. Something that’s been there since we were born. Something many hunters consider demonic.”

Sasuke thought back to Uzumaki’s physical appearance, and Gaara’s words confirming some of his own theories.

“The man who held us, his name was Orochimaru. He experimented on us without care to our feelings. We were numbers, not people. We may as well have been mice in a lab to be disposed of whenever he wanted. Eventually, Uzumaki’s father came to save us. He got out. I did not.”

“And Uzumaki doesn’t remember?”

“No,” Gaara shook his head. “Bad things happened that night. I don’t know the specifics, but he must have blocked it out.”

Sasuke mulled the information over in his head. Something demonic, Gaara had said, but that didn’t quite seem right either. “Why are you talking about this now?”

“I can’t trust that Tsunade-san will keep him safe.” Gaara made sure to meet his eyes. “He has been through a lot. He doesn’t deserve to be killed over something that was out of his control from the beginning. I don’t want him to know that he has no control. Will never have it. I don’t want him to realize that no one around him who knows the truth will never care for him and will always be scared of him. I wanted him to have hope.” Grief slowly overtook his face. “But his past is coming back, and it will hit him full force. I can’t be there for him… but you can.”

“Why are you so convinced that I will go out of my way to help him. This isn’t what I bargained for when I decided to change him.”

Gaara’s lip twitched. Standing, he adjusted his school bag on his shoulder. “You know, there are better ways to get back at the girl who used the guy you like, but they also say love can make you childish.”

“Implying something?”

Gaara shrugged. “Do you think I am?” he asked. His watch beeped, signaling the change of the hour. “I should leave. I have some things to take care of.” He bid him farewell, leaving Sasuke alone on the bench to think.

The words stuck, like gum to the bottom of a shoe, long after Gaara had gone. What was Gaara trying to imply? That he had feelings for Uzumaki?

The thought was preposterous. He didn’t love or get attached. He lived for one purpose, and only one. So what if Uzumaki made him feel like a child, or that he had enjoyed teasing him, or that he took his mind off revenge for the first time in over a century. His worry for him was purely platonic.

Rubbing a hand over his face, Sasuke muttered under his breath. “Fuck.”


	19. Chapter 19

Was this what it felt like to die? Immeasurable pain until your mind could no longer feel it?

Naruto was never in so much pain before, and he was convinced Kisame was trying to kill him. His arm had to be broken in three different places and his ribs were on fire, making it difficult to breathe. He had to have internal damage. He had coughed up more blood than he was sure his body could hold, and his body was covered in it. His clothes were no more than pieces of fabric held together by a few strands, showing off the deep lacerations and bruises on his skin.

But now, Naruto could no longer feel any of it, his mind whiting out the pain and everything around him. Even so, Kisame’s mocking voice cut through his temporary bliss.

“Get up,” he commanded. “Where’s all that fire you had in Tokyo? Or do you just rely on everyone else’s power to save you?”

Naruto didn’t respond, or more like he couldn’t, his mind drifting into the comfort of oblivion until he was startled back to reality with a jolt that felt like electricity being shot through his system and snapping him back into his body and all the pain it contained.

“Get up,” he repeated louder and sounding a lot more impatient.

Shaking arms struggled to get underneath him, but the moment Naruto put even just the slightest bit of weight on them, he collapsed once again onto the cold cement floor. He tried not to whimper. He really did, but it left his lips despite himself. He hadn’t cried, but he wanted to as his eyes burned and begged to water, but then Kisame would get what he most likely wanted, to see him defeated.

“I said get up brat.” The man reached down in one swift motion, pulling Naruto up by his hair and forcing him to his feet. Naruto wasn’t standing long, however. Kisame delivered a kick to his knee.

Naruto cried out in pain and curled up on the floor, nursing his shattered knee. This couldn’t be called training, could it? This was akin to a beating or torture. Naruto had not been able to land a single hit. He had not even been close. It hit home just how easy Kisame had been on him in Tokyo. It truly had been nothing more than a test back then.

“Pathetic,” he spat out irritably. “Do you think your opponents will be quick with your death or show you mercy?!” He kicked him again, no longer even bothering with his sword anymore, this time to his stomach. He was kicked hard enough to be sent flying into the wall behind him, further cracking the tiles. “They will take their time with you. Play with you. Make you suffer.”

He grasped his blood-soaked T-shirt and forced Naruto to look at him. “Battle isn’t a little tea party that you have with your little pussy friends where you take turns and the winner backs down due to some stupid reason like respect for a loser who fought valiantly.” He tossed him aside, watching Naruto collapse. “Battle is kicking a person while they're down, stabbing them in the back when they aren’t looking. Battle is doing everything you can to ensure that you come out on top no matter what. If you want to survive, be ready for anything. Stand through the pain. Show no weakness.”

He was approaching him again when Itachi’s soft voice echoed in the room. “Kisame, that is enough. He is done for today.”

Naruto couldn’t see him, but he could feel Itachi’s eyes roam over his pathetic state. Naruto couldn’t even muster up the pride to feel ashamed. He couldn’t put up a fight even if he wanted to, not with the sorry state his body was in.

“Pick him up,” Itachi commanded.

Nausea swept over Naruto when Kisame roughly threw him onto his shoulder, and the large, empty, square room spun as he walked. There couldn’t have been much food left in his stomach as much as he vomited during his training session, but he did his best to stop anything else from leaving. The passing scenery was a blur and the hallway tilted, making it hard to distinguish up from down or if the man who was carrying him was moving or standing still. He couldn’t even tell where Kisame was taking him, but he endured it all to the best of his abilities.

The next thing Naruto knew, he was dropped onto an uncomfortable wooden chair. It took a moment to clear the spots from his vision and for the vertigo to settle due to the abrupt change in position. The room he was now in was dark with only a few torches to illuminate the inky blackness. It was a picture-perfect version of what a dungeon would look like: cold stone walls, metal cuffs hanging from the ceiling, and a musty scent to complete the setting.

Across the room was a naked man who was in worse shape than he was. His skin was the color of ivory his long dark hair and long tangled beard was matted with blood. His skin covered his ribs as if someone had taken a skeleton and stretched rubber over it, and his face was hollow and empty. Naruto couldn’t be certain he was even breathing.

The man looked up at Naruto. He couldn’t tell if the man was a vampire or human but the blank stare in the man’s eyes sent unpleasant shivers down Naruto’s spine, and he felt the urge to look away in discomfort.

Quickly losing interest in Naruto, the man turned his head just enough so that he could see Itachi in the corner of his eyes but no more, probably lacking the energy to do anymore. “Please,” he whispered. His voice was weak, dry, and void of any life. He was a broken man, without an ounce of fight left in him. No will. “Kill me, Itachi-sama. I’m begging you.”

Even with the small amount of lighting, the acoustics of the stone walls, and Naruto’s improved senses, he could barely tell where Itachi stood in the room, moving like a ghost as he walked. He stood on the left side of the prison then walked around to the other side in a wide girth as if inspecting his prey and plotting the best way to slowly and methodically devour him.

“This man,” Itachi’s aristocratic voice made him sound sinister with the scene around him though he had not changed a single thing from before. “Has been causing me quite some trouble. He disobeyed me, a crime that I will not easily overlook. Stealing from me, plotting against me, should he have gone about it competently, I may have looked the other way a while longer, but I do not tolerate sloppy work.”

Naruto had not seen the sword in his hands before, and he almost didn’t see it then. The dim lighting glinted off the blade, revealing itself a fraction before it ran through the prisoner’s chest, pinning him to the stone behind him. A weak cry escaped him, barely more than a soft mewl, lacking the strength for anything more.

“Uzumaki-kun,” Itachi said in almost an endearing way, yet still somehow lacking real emotion. “I want you to kill him.”

His blood ran cold at the suggestion. Images of the dead body in the alley assailed his thoughts, the blood that pooled around the shattered skull, and the lifeless look in that man’s eyes. “Y-you want me t-t-t-to,” his voice cracked. He couldn’t form the words past the lump in his throat.

“Is it a difficult request? From what I understand, it won’t be your first kill. The only thing left is to kill your hesitation. A man who isn’t true to himself is a useless one.”

The prisoner’s eyes lingered on him. He could feel his gaze like a laser, piercing him. And then there was Itachi’s gaze, heavy and expecting.

“N-no. I-I-I won’t do it.” Naruto averted his eyes to the floor. “I can’t.”

Itachi raised an eyebrow. “Is that so?”

Naruto nodded, bracing himself for the consequence of his answer. Surely Itachi wouldn’t take no for an answer. Naruto didn’t think anyone said no to him. Even Kisame seemed reluctant to disobey as he always followed his command without question, though he did complain about it.

“Alright. Then he will live,” Itachi said simply.

No, it couldn’t have been that easy. While Naruto tried to digest his shock at how accepting Itachi was about his decision, the man was horrified; life snapped into him. Each passing second, he became more animated as he begged. “No! Please Itachi-sama. Kill me. Let me die.”

“You will live until Uzumaki-kun comes and kills you himself. Until that time, Kisame, get Uzumaki-san cleaned up and to his room to rest. He will need to be ready for his next spar tomorrow morning.”

With everything going on, Naruto had forgotten that he had been in the room until he was addressed. Once again, he was picked up and thrown over the shoulder like luggage and carried out of the room.

The next hour had to of been one of the most humiliating hours in his life. Kisame had stripped him down to nothing, dumping him into a tub full of warm water. He bathed him and addressed his wounds. If that wasn’t embarrassing enough, Kisame couldn’t stop laughing and making penis jokes about him. He was never really concerned about it before. Growing up with Kiba and regularly going to the bathhouse, he had never thought he was small. Damn, now he was self-conscious about his size.

Bandaged and put into bed, he closed his eyes ready to doze off in his nice, plush, four-poster bed when a shriek had him sitting up quickly, reopening his wounds with fiery protest. What was that?

A few long seconds later another scream filled the house. The anguish that was carried with it resonated with Naruto’s being as if it was dumping the world’s torment onto his shoulders.

Of course, Naruto recognized who the voice belonged to. The man in the subbasement.

Hiding his head underneath his pillow in a futile attempt to drown it out, the cry of pain assaulted Naruto’s ears still.

“It’s okay, they’re just trying to pressure you,” he whispered, shaken by the revelation of what Itachi intended to do. He wouldn’t give in. He couldn’t.

The night plowed on, the screams continuing long into the night, penetrating his dreams until Naruto was the one committing the torture.

* * *

Naruto went to breakfast, tired and mentally drained. His rest was interrupted by the nightmares and screams of the prisoner. He could barely think clearly when he entered the kitchen.

His body had healed, much to his surprise, but that only meant that more pain was to come. The sight of Itachi cooking breakfast was no longer a shock, nor was it amusing. That man had no humanity left in him.

Itachi left the moment he had finished cooking, placing the food ─this time a traditional Japanese breakfast─ in front of Naruto. Unlike the day before, Naruto didn’t eat with vigor, staring at the meal, knowing that it would not stay down.

“You should eat, Uzumaki-kun. You will need your strength.”

He said that every morning for the next week. Itachi acted kind towards him, treated him like a guest, never forcing him to do anything while Kisame abused him to an inch of his life until he was too scared and broken to move. His day would end only to listen to that man scream in agony and plead for his death. Then he would get up and the cycle would repeat. He was reaching his breaking point. He was beginning to look forward to the kindness Itachi showed him, wanting to grab onto the hand that fed him, that ordered Kisame to stop hurting him. He knew that Itachi was the one who had ordered the training and was the one performing the torture, but he had never seen Itachi do it himself, and at the end of the day, he was too strained to think clearly.

Was this Itachi’s plan? To make him go crazy? He had already been here a week, but there were no signs of rescue. Chances to escape seemed unlikely at this rate. What could he do to keep himself from falling further into Itachi’s clutches?

One night, unable to sleep, during the nightly screams, a realization hit Naruto. There was only one way. He had to give Itachi what he wanted. It was the only way to save his own sanity.

Before the training started, Naruto located Itachi in the subbasement on his own. The vampire was sitting in a Parisian club chair, a side table beside him with a newspaper and prepared tea. As usual, he did not have a hair out of place. He did not even look surprised that Naruto had come to him. Why would he be when this was ultimately what the man wanted.

Naruto entered with a steely expression, not even twitching at the sight of the prisoner. The man was cuffed to the wall, splayed like an insect. His body displayed various marks of inflicted torture that Naruto could not even begin to describe that had not been there before. A silver blade was embedded in his neck, just below that Adam’s apple, and there as a pail below him collecting blood. There was hardly any blood left to drain. The blood had nearly stopped flowing from any of the wounds despite how fresh they looked. He had been bled dry.

“So this is how you kept him quiet during the day,” Naruto said matter of factly. He took two loud steps into the otherwise silent room. “I guess he is a vampire. He’d be dead by now if he wasn’t.”

“So he would be,” Itachi agreed. He watched Naruto walk over to the prisoner.

The prisoner’s eyes met with Naruto’s, and he smiled at the young man sincerely with cracked and bloody lips, nodding to the sword at his feet.

Naruto picked up the sword, staring at it for a moment, inspecting it as a stillness came over him. “I’m sorry.” With a swift flick of his wrist, Naruto beheaded the man with scary ease. He was talented with a sword, Itachi noted.

The head rolled off the prisoner’s shoulders to Naruto’s feet. Naruto could not help but stare back at the soft expression permanently engraved onto the face looking up at him.

“The first step is always the most difficult, but it is the step in the right direction.”

“No,” Naruto said softly.

“No?” Question was in Itachi’s voice, even a hint of surprise.

Naruto turned heated eyes onto him a scowl on his lips. With a level voice that hid the anger and hatred that his eyes reflected, he said, “I won’t play your game anymore.” He threw the sword onto the ground, letting it clang and slide over to Itachi. This will be the last time I ever kill someone.”

He now had an unpleasant experience to put with that face. Itachi couldn’t be trusted. Itachi made him do this. Itachi had brought him to this. He could not put his trust in this man. Not after being brought this far.

“Do you think you can hold such convictions here? I did not force your hand. You did this of your own free will.”

Itachi was right. This was the conclusion that Naruto had come to on his own. He had taken that man’s life in order to keep his own sanity, to keep himself from falling into Itachi’s web. It was that pain and frustration that he would use as fuel. Fuel to stand and fight. He did not know what crimes that man may have committed, but he hadn’t deserved what he had gone through. A mercy killing wasn’t kindness, just an excuse.

“I know,” he said. He never wanted to feel this ever again. He would become stronger so that he would never have to resort to this. So men like Itachi couldn’t use him anymore. But it did not change the fact that he had more blood on his hands. All he could do was atone by making sure Itachi got what was coming to him one day. “But I swear, I will get stronger so that you can never corner me like this again. I refuse to become another one of your puppets.”

“I see. I’m eager to see where such convictions get you, Uzumaki-kun.” Reaching down, Itachi picked up the discarded sword, cradling it in his hands. “For now, I believe you are late with your sparring match with Kisame.” His irises were a molten silver that shimmered in the light. “Run along.”

The urge to comply with his demand was strong, and Naruto had no choice but to oblige; however, things were different this time. He was more alert than he had ever been before.

Until now, Naruto had been treating everything like an outsider. Everything was “them” not “him”. That was a vampire thing. That was a human thing. He had never applied it to himself, going about everything as if it did not pertain to him or his situation. That was no longer the case now. He could heal life-threatening wounds in a day. He could move faster than humans ever could. Human law held very little meaning now as there were beings strong enough to get around them with their own sets of rules.

He was a part of that world now. He was one of them. Not fully, but enough that he could no longer deny it. He had the power. It was there. He just had to draw it out, and finally, stand on his own two feet.

* * *

Being friends with Naruto had never been easy.

As long as Kiba could remember, he was told to stay away from him. And for the first four years, he did. Kiba remembered the first day he was introduced to his class. He was quiet and looked odd, a perfect target for bullying.

At the time, Kiba was going through problems of his own. His parents fought often, nearly every day, yelling at one another and disregarding the fact they were well within their children’s view. Growing up, watching that, it was hard to feel sympathy for another kid his age. It was easy to look away when other kids picked on Naruto. Don’t get involved. Keep your head down. Don’t draw attention to yourself.

What parents forget to realize is that children do copy them. Because the adults disliked Naruto, hated him, the children inherited their dislike. Kiba was no exception. Eventually, his mother didn’t have to tell him to stay away. He did it on his own. He found himself hating Naruto though Naruto did nothing wrong. And when his parents arguing came to a head, he took his anger out on Naruto.

He was ten. His mother left after a particularly bad fight with his father. Perhaps his father still loved her because his father took it poorly, distancing himself from his children. His business trips became longer and more frequent, leaving his elder sister, the age of 16 to look after him.

Kiba was angry at his mother, his father, and everything around him, and he blamed himself as most children do when their parents go through a bad breakup. At this time, Naruto had started to act out more frequently, no longer taking the bullying quietly and lashing out, building a reputation of a delinquent as everyone had always made him out to be.

It was after his father had ditched another one of his soccer games, on the day of his birthday. He was angry, ready to take his anger out on anyone and anything. That’s when he saw Naruto. Naruto was minding his own business, sitting on the edge of the soccer field, people watching from a distance.

Without warning, he walked up to Naruto, throwing insults. He couldn’t remember what, but he remembered striking Naruto multiple times. Naruto didn’t fight. Beating him had been remarkably easy considering his growing reputation.

In hindsight, Naruto probably let him. There was no way his small, scrawny frame could have taken no damage in a real fight. But he went home, feeling worse than before.

A few days later, he was on the receiving end. Surrounded by a group of kids he had purposefully pissed off. Outnumbered and not knowing when to keep his mouth shut, he escalated the situation until fists were flying. One of the boys held him from behind so the others could pound on him.

Then, without being asked, Naruto jumped in to help. Naruto received the worst of it, purposefully provoking them to change their target, but he didn’t leave Kiba’s side. Even when they threatened to kill him. They were bluffing, but they were kids. They thought it was a real possibility.

Afterward, when they had left, Naruto left without Kiba being able to even mutter a thank you. It was years later that Kiba realized the truth, that Naruto had known about his situation from his people watching days, but he couldn’t ignore Naruto as he had in the past.

The next day, as Naruto consumed his lunch in a lonely corner of the classroom, he pulled up a chair to join him. The lunch was quiet and awkward, neither saying much; however, it was the beginning of their friendship.

Kiba’s family situation never really improved, but his sister emerged as the anchor for his life, filling the role his parents failed to fill, and as a result, he dealt with his own grief.

As Kiba got to know Naruto, he realized just how much bias was against him. For when he befriended him, Kiba started receiving similar treatment. In the early years, he wondered if the friendship was worth it. He was willingly submitting himself to the treatment by choosing to stay Naruto’s friend. The wavering loyalty had always been a regret of Kiba’s because he knew Naruto had sensed his hesitation, and he knew Naruto would let him go if he chose to walk away.

Even in the present, Kiba never truly understood Naruto. He was either all smiles or a ball of anger. He had seen both, feared the later. Only Gaara seemed to handle the angered Naruto with ease. Kiba had always feared Gaara, but Naruto he felt guilty about whenever he had feelings like that, and he was sure Naruto sensed that too as Naruto rarely lost it when Kiba was around. Naruto was always looking after him, supporting him, never expecting the same treatment in return.

Now, he was seeing Naruto’s face and name on TV, reported missing and a suspect in the recent terror attacks on the mainland. He could hear whispers from the students, saying how they all knew he was no good and wondering if they should transfer schools. Kiba couldn’t say anything. While their class acted normally, the rest of the school was in an uproar with the gossip.

His friend was in danger yet again, and he could do nothing in return. Twice, Naruto had sacrificed his wellbeing for Kiba’s sake, and when Naruto needed him, he was in no position to and lacked the power. What could a weak person like him do?

The school bell rang, and Kiba gathered his bag, leaving without completing his classroom duties in a daze.

Why was he such a bad friend? Why did he choose to pretend everything was alright when he knew Naruto was struggling? Was he still scared to be his friend? Or was he still reluctant to get involved in true trouble? The less he knew about Naruto’s situation, the less he was involved. He was ashamed that those were his true feelings. Ashamed of how selfish he was deep down.

Kiba stood, waiting for the bus to arrive, staring out into the distance. Naruto had done so much for him. Why couldn’t he do anything back?

In the corner of his eye, he saw Gaara preparing to get into a town car, Hyuuga at his side. Since returning to school, Hyuuga had been stuck to Gaara like glue. At first, he had thought it to be blackmail, and then he thought Gaara was a traitor for being around their former nemesis.

But there was something Gaara had that he did not. Power and money.

Swallowing his pride, he ran over to them, grabbing the door before it could be closed. “Wait!”

The driver who had been closing the door looked annoyed, but a single glance from

Gaara had him bowing and leaving to get into the driver’s seat. “What?” He said rather rudely, not that it was anything new.

Snapping his arms to the side, he bowed. “I need your help. Please. Please help me find Naruto.”

Gaara’s stare always made Kiba sweat. Finally, he said, “Even if you find him, how do you expect to help him?”

“I don’t know,” he answered honestly. “But there must be something even an idiot like me can do.”

Gaara’s eyes narrowed. “and how serious are you about helping him? Would you be willing to become a criminal? Would you be willing to die if need be?”

Die? Was Naruto in that much trouble? He was hesitant, his self-preservation kicking in.

Gaara saw this in him as well. “Go home, Inuzuka.” Gaara reached out to close the car door, but Kiba stopped him.

“Yes. I’ll do anything you ask. Just let me help.”

Gaara’s lips thinned. Hyuuga, who was seated beside Gaara, leaned over and whispered something into his ear. Kiba strained to listen but may as well have had headphones on. “You’ll put your life on the line for him?” He asked one more time.

Kiba wouldn’t allow himself to falter again. He answered with a resolute, “Yes.”

“We’ll see.” He scooted over. “Get in.”

Kiba did as he was told, and that was the last thing he remembered. He didn’t know what happened. Just that when he woke up, he was alone in a dark cave.

Panicking, he blindly felt around, trying to get his bearing with his failed eyesight. He could feel dampness, rocks, and little else. “G-Gaara… Hyuuga…” he called out with uncertainty more than just a little scared. The last time he was stuck in the dark, he met a vampire trying to kill him.

He crawled along the cave floor, feeling his way to a wall to help him stand. “Gaara, this isn’t cool, man.” He heard nothing. He was truly alone, and he knew it.

Or was he?

As he slowly felt along the wall, sticking with left turns, he felt as if he was being stalked. Not quite a presence, not in the normal sense. It was the feeling you would get of being watched even though you knew you were alone, a feeling that most would chalk up to anxiety or paranoia when they were doing something they weren’t supposed to do.

All his life Kiba often felt those types of presence. Something he couldn’t really explain, but it was easy to ignore in small doses. For a long time, he had been convinced they were ghosts or demons, but after a while, he pushed the idea aside. Now, it felt like he was being watched everywhere, like he was on stage, blinded by the spotlight, while everyone watched and laughed. It made him paranoid to a maddening degree.

Breathing faster, he moved his feet increasing his pace only to find dead end after dead end. How did he get out of here? The feeling of scrutiny was slowly intensifying as if closing in on him, and more than once he swore he felt something brush up against him.

“I-if there are any sp-spirits here, I’m sorry for tresspassin’. I don’t have any offerings, but if you could just show me out…” he was rambling in his shaken state. It didn’t help when he heard a feminine giggle in the darkness.

“Are you lost, young man,” it asked.

Scared and out of options, he answered nervously. “Can you help me out of here?”

The voice laughed again, seemingly amused but had a sinister edge.

A lantern appeared, an old oil-based one, temporarily blinding Kiba as his eyes adjusted to the light. Upon the sight of the figure who held the lantern, he wished he hadn’t looked or even called out. The woman who held the lantern was old and withering, her tattered kimono barely staying on her form as a sagging breast was exposed to him. Her limbs were elongated and barely thicker than sticks. Her long, grey hair barely concealed her crazed eyes.

“Let me help you there, young man,” she said, a sickle in her other hand. He saw her lick her dry cracked lips.

Screaming, Kiba fell back, turning to run only for something to trip him. Looking down, he saw the fading image of a black hand coming out of the ground dissipating.

The woman laughed, still dragging the sickle behind her. “Where do you think you’re going, young man? Don’t you want help?”

Terrified, Kiba scrambled to his feet again, running into the darkness, away from the light, unable to see where he was going. The once distant presence was now all around him, grabbing at him, now the unmistakable feeling of hands.

“Don’t run, young man!” The old hag called out. “Do you think I’m the scariest yokai here!”

He could no longer see the light of her lantern, but she sounded so close, coming from every direction. Stopping, he tried to find any hint of where she may be or how to escape. The second he stopped though, something else touched him, paralyzing his body on the spot. Bony, cold fingers, caressed his neck. “Such a beautiful neck,” this time it was a deep masculine voice, and it whispered into his ear. “Should I make it mine?”

Kiba tried to move, but his body would not respond to him. It felt as if a rope had tied around his body, keeping him in place. He lost control of his bladder, feeling something sharp graze his neck.

He didn’t want to die. Not like this. He hadn’t accomplished anything. He didn’t want to die without a good reason, a purpose. _Someone, save me!_ he called out in his terrified mind.

_Is that all your determination amounts to? Wishing to be saved?_ A voice asked with mild amusement. _I expected more from the last heir of the Inuzuka clan._

Time was stopped, and though he still could not move, Kiba felt he was in a different world, a different dimension, still dark but not because of lack of light.

_Who are you?_ He asked. The voice, gruff and animalistic was warm and familiar as if it had always been by his side.

_Depends on you, boy. Your power called to me over a year ago, and I have been waiting to make a contract. However, watching you, I am not sure I want to._

A year ago? Power? What was he talking about? _Why? What do I have to do?_

Golden brown eyes of a wolf appeared before him. _I have no use for someone who fears death, and I have no use of children who rely on others to save them. A power squandered is having no power at all,_ the voice growled. _I rather consume your soul here and now._

Reality started again. The sharp object, now knowing it to be a wire, wrapping around his neck.

Wasn’t it natural to fear death? To fear being hurt? To fear pain? He was only human. Self-preservation was natural. To save oneself was natural.

Then why did Naruto put himself in harm’s way? Why did he let Kiba beat him? Why did he save him when he could have walked away from Kiba surrounded by the bullies? Why did Naruto sacrifice himself to Uchiha so he could escape? Surely, he had been scared too? No one forced him to get involved.

The same reason why Kiba had asked Gaara to let him help. He was a friend, and he couldn’t walk away knowing he was needed. Fearing death was natural but having a reason to overcome it and press onward gave would be coward's strength.

He needed to help Naruto. He needed to repay him.

Power flooded his body and he gathered he resolve putting it all into his left arm, breaking free of the restraints holding it down, to move in the path of the wire, biting into his flesh and stopping at the bone.

“So what if I fear death!” Kiba yelled out into the darkness. “As long as I have power, you should obey me right! If you want a contract, I’ll give it to you. Eat my soul, I don’t care! Just give me more power dammit!”

_Then officially give me my name and let the contract be sealed,_ the voice whispered.

The wire was digging into his bone and pain was radiating into his arm. He would not die here. He refused to. “AKAMARU!” he yelled.

Light and several screams from the spirits inhabiting it filled the cave. The pressure of the wire slackened until the wire fell to the ground, and Kiba covered his eyes to protect them.

The light faded enough, leaving darkness once again, but this time, he was truly alone besides the lone figure he could clearly see. Akamaru walked up to him, his tail swishing behind him. _The contract is completed._ The large dog, which Kiba now knew was a wolf, bowed to him. _Master._

Putting pressure on his wound, Kiba’s legs finally gave out, and he allowed himself to sit on the cave floor, watching the being in front of him. “So how does this work? You eat me now or something?”

The wolf narrowed its eyes at his words as if it was the most preposterous thing it had ever heard. _As I have with your ancestors before you, I will be your familiar and in exchange, I will consume your spiritual power rather than your soul. The more spiritual power you allow me to have, the stronger I become. Should the contract ever break or your spiritual power leaves you, I will consume you._

“Sounds like something a yokai would say,” Kiba laughed half-heartedly.

_I once was a lesser god. You should show me respect._ Akamaru replied with annoyance.

“Doesn’t change the fact you like a good scratch behind the ears,” Kiba said, feeling light-headed. “Can you get us out of here?”

_If my master so desires._

It was laughable at how easy it was to leave with Akamaru guiding him. Even so, he was feeling drained and weak when he stepped out of the cave, nearly collapsing onto Akamaru for support.

Gaara was waiting for him with a man by his side who looked remarkably like Hyuuga, but older.

“So he has awakened,” the man said, seemingly displeased. “I will inform the others.”

“And their land,” Gaara added, gaining a small glare from the man.

“It will be returned to them. He will need training grounds before he gets himself killed.”

Out of his yukata sleeve, he pulled out a talisman. It glowed a soft gold color before flying over to Kiba and sticking to his forehead. He began to lose consciousness.

“He’s going to die if he keeps exerting his chakra like that.”

“That’s why I called you here,” Gaara said. Kiba could hear Gaara’s footsteps getting farther away.

The Niijma adult clone came towards him, Kiba’s vision blacking out. The last thing he heard was, “Welcome back, Head of the Inuzuka Clan.”

* * *

“Uchiha-sama, you should rest. You have been training nonstop,” Tobi fidgeted with the silver tray that had a towel and a large bag of blood on it. His antsy behavior was distracting to say the least. He had been standing in the corner for the past hour, wondering if he should say something.

Sasuke sat in the center of the room, eyes closed and wearing only a pair of sweatpants covered in sweat. It took a lot to make an immortal sweat. Extreme physical duress was one of two ways, and Sasuke had long gone past his limit.

“I need to gain better control of the Kamikaze if I want a chance to defeat my brother,” he said, his eyes slowly opening to reveal molten silver irises.

“That may be well and good, Uchiha-sama; however, should you overexert yourself, the power may cause irreparable damage to your body. What good is it to continue training if you will hamper your success in the long run?”

Tobi had a point. He knew that, but it was difficult to accept. There was nothing he could do at this time, and he wanted to do something. If he didn’t, he just wallowed in the fact that his brother was nearby with Uzumaki in his possession.

“Leave the tray. You are dismissed.”

“Yes, Uchiha-sama.” Tobi bowed, before placing the tray down on his nightstand and excusing himself.

Standing, he had almost lost his balance. Tobi had been right. He had gone far too long. He hadn’t fully recovered from his fight, having elected to train rather than allow himself to heal. But he had nowhere else to channel his emotions. His annoyance of being under the hunters’ watch. The frustration of his brother being so close but unable to go after him. The grief he felt over the council’s demise.

Training allowed him to focus on something other than his brewing emotions and the revelation Gaara left him with the other day.

Now, he did not have the luxury. His body may have been tired, collapsing on his bed with fatigue, but his mind was still buzzing with activity. It was too quiet with Uzumaki gone. Uzumaki wasn’t exactly loud, but he had made his presence in the household known. His conversations with Tobi in the mornings, his complaints in the evenings, their banter at night. It was surprisingly easy to forget with Uzumaki around, distracting him from his own nightmares.

Love was a useless emotion. It required trust and vulnerability, something he had long since given up. Therefore, he couldn’t be in love with Uzumaki. He was a distraction at best. A much-needed break after focusing all his efforts towards one goal for so many years. The attraction he felt at random intervals when his guard was down was pent up sexual frustration. 40 years of abstinence would do that to anyone. Sex had become boring after the first 100 years of his life. One night stands were easy enough to get. Especially when no one was willing to openly declare they were gay back then. A few sweet nothings and an attractive body, and Sasuke could make anyone give in for a night. It got old quickly and faces and names blurred together.

Rolling onto his back, he slipped a hand down the hem of his pants. Sex was a physical need, one that he had ignored for a long time. Wouldn’t it become expected if his interest would pop up when touching a young, attractive man after being abstinent for so long? He just needed to work it out of his system.

Sasuke closed his eyes as he moved his hand. This was another chore, he told himself. He could think of anyone and the result would be the same. The image in his head was vague. A generic faceless guy that could be anyone. Normally, this would be enough. A generic man posing on his bed who Sasuke wouldn’t be able to recall once he finished his business.

But as he continued, he began to imagine his hands running through soft, blond hair, his nose nuzzled against sun-kissed skin as he inhaled an intoxicating scent that could only belong to one person. “Uchiha,” he would groan, squirming under Sasuke’s attention. A soft blush would dust his cheeks as it always did when he was embarrassed. The look of prey. So innocent despite acting so tough, Sasuke wanted to ruin that. He would be his, make it so Uzumaki could not live without his touch, without his bite.

“Dammit, Uchiha,” he would say, “not so damn rough.” But he knew Uzumaki. He would want it rough. Uzumaki would grasp the sheets, tearing them as he moaned in pleasure, taking all of Sasuke into his body like he was made for him.

Their hips would rock together erratically. Uzumaki would call his name, growing closer and closer to climax. His body would tighten around him as he neared, “Uchiha!”

“Uchiha-sama?” Tobi’s voice broke him out of his fantasy.

With haste, he removed his hand from his pants. “What do you want?” he asked irritated.

“Are you alright? I heard groaning. Are you still in pain?”

“I’m fine. Go away,” he replied removing his now soiled sweatpants into a laundry basket.

“As you wish.” Tobi moved away from the door, his footsteps quietly clicking down the hall.

His thoughts just now were more concerning to him than Tobi catching him masturbating. He had been possessive. Uzumaki was his? Make it so he couldn’t live without him? It was so corny and cliché, the thought made him almost vomit. Immortals were territorial sure, but Uzumaki wasn’t his chosen mate. He was a kid he picked up on a whim. A whim that had been very out of character for him.

He couldn’t deny he wasn’t physically attracted to him, but harboring feelings was dangerous territory. He had many enemies. Having a fledgling was one thing, having a lover was another. This was assuming Uzumaki escaped his brother’s clutches unharmed which was unlikely. Anger and hatred for his brother flared at the thought.

What was happening to him? Why did he care?

Cleaning himself and changing his clothes, he attempted to sleep, but the thought kept nagging at him persistently. This may have been a bigger problem than he realized, and if he saw Gaara again, he’d kill him for ever bringing it to his attention.


End file.
